FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Difference between revisions of "Moroni's visit/Nephi or Moroni"
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*The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.' | *The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.' | ||
*If the angel spoke ''about'' the plates being "engraven by Moroni," then he couldn't have been Moroni himself. | *If the angel spoke ''about'' the plates being "engraven by Moroni," then he couldn't have been Moroni himself. | ||
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Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt understood the problem more than a century ago, when they wrote in 1877 to John Taylor: | Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt understood the problem more than a century ago, when they wrote in 1877 to John Taylor: | ||
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:And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! ''Moroni'', an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/128/20#20 D&C 128:20]). | :And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! ''Moroni'', an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/128/20#20 D&C 128:20]). | ||
| − | ==Conclusion== | + | =={{Conclusion label}}== |
This is not an example of Joseph Smith changing his story over time, but an example of a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than the Prophet, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph and his enemies—who would have seized upon any inconsistency had they known about it—shows that "Moroni" was the name of the heavenly messenger BEFORE the 1838 and 1839 histories were recorded. | This is not an example of Joseph Smith changing his story over time, but an example of a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than the Prophet, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph and his enemies—who would have seized upon any inconsistency had they known about it—shows that "Moroni" was the name of the heavenly messenger BEFORE the 1838 and 1839 histories were recorded. | ||
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* “ If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. '''Moroni''', who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from '''Nephi''' and it may be from Alma and others.”{{ref|jd3}} | * “ If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. '''Moroni''', who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from '''Nephi''' and it may be from Alma and others.”{{ref|jd3}} | ||
| − | ==Endnotes== | + | =={{Endnotes label}}== |
#{{note|jfs1}} Letter, Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith to John Taylor, 18 December 1877; cited in Dean C. Jessee, ed., ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 1:277, nt. 1. | #{{note|jfs1}} Letter, Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith to John Taylor, 18 December 1877; cited in Dean C. Jessee, ed., ''The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 1:277, nt. 1. | ||
#{{note|HoC1}}{{HoC|vol=1|start=11|end=12, footnote 2}} | #{{note|HoC1}}{{HoC|vol=1|start=11|end=12, footnote 2}} | ||
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#{{note|jd3}} George Q. Cannon, "Discourse...," ''Journal of Discourses'', reported by D.W. Evans and John Grimshaw, (5 December 1869), vol. 13 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1871), 47. | #{{note|jd3}} George Q. Cannon, "Discourse...," ''Journal of Discourses'', reported by D.W. Evans and John Grimshaw, (5 December 1869), vol. 13 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1871), 47. | ||
| − | ==Further reading== | + | =={{Further reading label}}== |
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{{FirstVisionWiki}} | {{FirstVisionWiki}} | ||
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*Matthew B. Brown, "Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference. {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2004_Anti-Mormons_and_Documentary_Sources.html}}{{NB}} | *Matthew B. Brown, "Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference. {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2004_Anti-Mormons_and_Documentary_Sources.html}}{{NB}} | ||
| − | ===External links=== | + | ==={{External links label}}=== |
*Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, "The Nephi/Moroni Problem", ''mormonfortress.com''. {{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/nemor2.html}} | *Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, "The Nephi/Moroni Problem", ''mormonfortress.com''. {{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/nemor2.html}} | ||
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*Printed resources whose text is not available online | *Printed resources whose text is not available online | ||
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Revision as of 04:54, 4 May 2010
==Contents
Questions
==
- The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.'
- If the angel spoke about the plates being "engraven by Moroni," then he couldn't have been Moroni himself.
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here
==Detailed Analysis
== Joseph F. Smith and Orson Pratt understood the problem more than a century ago, when they wrote in 1877 to John Taylor:
- "The contradictions in regard to the name of the angelic messenger who appeared to Joseph Smith occurred probably through the mistakes of clerks in making or copying documents and we think should be corrected. . . . From careful research we are fully convinced that Moroni is the correct name. This also was the decision of the former historian, George A. Smith."[1]
These facts have not been hidden; they are readily acknowledged in the History of the Church:
- In the original publication of the history in the Times and Seasons at Nauvoo, this name appears as "Nephi," and the Millennial Star perpetuated the error in its republication of the History. That it is an error is evident, and it is so noted in the manuscripts to which access has been had in the preparation of this work.[2]
Sources which mention Nephi
Critics cite a variety of sources that repeat the 'Nephi' identification. The key point to understand is that there is really only one source that claims the heavenly messenger was Nephi; the other sources which mention Nephi are merely citing this one source, thus perpetuating the error. The problematic document is the June 1839 Manuscript History of the Church Book A-1 (which was a copy of an April 1838 document -- James Mulholland copied George W. Robinson's earlier text. The 1838 document is no longer extant).
- The 1839 document was then published in the 1842 Times and Seasons as follows:
- He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi. That God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil, among all nations, kindreds, and tongues; or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. [italics added][3]
- In England, the Church's periodical called the Millennial Star reprinted the same article in August 1842, perpetuating the error:
- He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi [italics added][4]
- This idea was repeated again, in the same volume of the Millennial Star, in an editorial written on 1 August 1842 either by Parley P. Pratt or Thomas Ward:
- Again, when we read the history of our beloved brother, Joseph Smith, and of the glorious ministry and message of the angel Nephi, which has finally opened a new dispensation to man, and commenced a revolution in the moral, civil, and religious government of the world...[italics added][5]
- The Pearl of Great Price, published in England in 1851 (but not yet canonized), identified its source for the story as "Times & Seasons, vol. iii, p. 726, &c." On page 41 it is said,
- He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi [italics added][6]
- The Times and Seasons account was also inserted into the autobiography of the Prophet's mother (Lucy Mack Smith) by an editor in 1853. The Prophet's mother, therefore, did not make this statement (as some critics claim). The source is identified on page 81 as follows -- "Times and Seasons, vol. iii., p. 729. Supp. to Mil. Star, vol. xiv., p. 4." It reads:
- He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi [italics added][7]
However, on the bottom of page 79 of this autobiography (where the above quotation occurs) there is a note about the name "Nephi" and it says, "Moroni, see Doc & Cov. sec. L., par. 2; Elders' Journal, vol. i., pp. 28 and 129; History of Joseph Smith under year 1838; Deseret News, no. 10, vol. iii. O.P." The initials at the end probably stand for Orson Pratt -- who had the autobiography published in 1853.
Thus, a single error in the Manuscript History had a ripple effect through several published accounts of the vision. These accounts are not independent 'proof' that Joseph was changing the story; they all depend upon a single initial error (which may have been caused by the 1838 or 1839 scribes).
Sources which mention Moroni
In contrast to the single source error mentioned above, there are multiple independent sources (originating with Joseph Smith and both friendly and hostile individuals) which demonstrate that the identification of the angel as "Moroni" was well-known and pre-dated the 1838/39 error.
- D&C 27:5 - 1830–1835
- Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel [modern edition D&C 27:5][8]
- Mormonism Unvailed - 1834, reprinted as History of Mormonism in 1840 [an anti-Mormon book]
- After he had finished translating the Book of Mormon, he again buried up the plates in the side of a mountain, by command of the Lord; some time after this, he was going through a piece of woods, on a by-path, when he discovered an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel...The Lord told him that the man he saw was MORONI, with the plates, and if he had given him the five coppers, he might have got his plates again. (emphasis in original)[9]
- Messenger and Advocate - 1835
- I have now given you a rehearsal of what was communicated to our brother, when he was directed to go and obtain the record of the Nephites…and I believe that the angel Moroni, whose words I have been rehearsing, who communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvelous things, which were to transpire when the same should come forth[10]
- Elders' Journal - July 1838
- For those holy men are angels now. And these are they, who make the fulness of times complete with us. And they who sin against this authority given to him ... sins not against him only, but against Moroni, who holds the keys of the stick of Ephraim. (italics added)[11]
- Elders' Journal - July 1838
- How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon?...Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me and told me where they were and gave me directions how to obtain them. 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.[12]
- Gospel Reflector - March 1841
- The 1835 Oliver Cowdery letter identifying "the angel Moroni" as the revealer of the golden plates was reprinted.
- [vol. 1, no. 6, March 1841, 161.]
- Times and Seasons - April 1841
- The 1835 Oliver Cowdery letter identifying "the angel Moroni" as the revealer of the golden plates was reprinted.
- [vol. 2, no. 11, 1 April 1841, 363].
- Pamphlet - 1844
- The 1835 Oliver Cowdery letter identifying "the angel Moroni" as the revealer of the golden plates was reprinted.
- [Letters by Oliver Cowdery to W. W. Phelps on the Origin of the Book of Mormon (Liverpool: Thomas Ward and John Cairns, 1844), 31.]
- D&C 128 (labeled 104 in 1844 edition) - 1844
- And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. (D&C 128:20).
Answer
==
This is not an example of Joseph Smith changing his story over time, but an example of a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than the Prophet, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph and his enemies—who would have seized upon any inconsistency had they known about it—shows that "Moroni" was the name of the heavenly messenger BEFORE the 1838 and 1839 histories were recorded.
It is understandable that Joseph's associates could have misidentified "Moroni" as "Nephi" since Joseph also had contact with "Nephi" during the process of the Restoration.
- “Who was it that administered to Joseph Smith? Moroni and Nephi, men who had lived upon this continent.”[13]
- “Afterwards the angel Moroni came to him and revealed to him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived amongst in those days.”[14]
- “ If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. Moroni, who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from Nephi and it may be from Alma and others.”[15]
== Notes ==
- [note] Letter, Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith to John Taylor, 18 December 1877; cited in Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith: Autobiographical and Historical Writings (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 1:277, nt. 1.
- [note] Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 1:11–12, footnote 2. Volume 1 link
- [note] Anon., "History of Joseph Smith (continued)," Times and Seasons 3 no. 12 (15 April 1842), 753. off-site GospeLink
- [note] Anon., "History of Joseph Smith From the 'Times and Seasons'," Millennial Star 3 no. 4 (August 1842), 53.
- [note] Anon., ""The Millennial Star. August 1, 1842," Millennial Star 3 no. 4 (August 1842), 71.
- [note] Franklin D. Richards (publisher), The Pearl of Great Price, 1st edition (Liverpool: R. James, South Castle Street, 1851), 40–41.
- [note] Lucy [Mack] Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors for Many Generations, (London: Latter-Day Saints' Book Depot, 1853), 78–80.
- [note] Doctrine and Covenants 50:2 (1835 edition); received August 1830, written September 1830 (See History of the Church, 1:106, nt. 3).
- [note] Eber Dudley Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press, 1834), 277.
- [note] Oliver Cowdery, Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate 1 no. 7 (April 1835), 112.
- [note] David W. Patten, Elder's Journal 1:3 (July 1838):42 (see also Millennial Star 1:126).
- [note] Joseph Smith, Jr., Elders’ Journal 1:3 (July 1838): 42–43.
- [note] John Taylor, "God’s Purposes Unchangeable," Journal of Discourses, reported by D.W. Evans, G.F. Gibbs, and others, (29 July 1877), vol. 19 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1878), 82.
- [note] John Taylor, "How a Knowledge of God is Obtained," Journal of Discourses, reported by George F. Gibbs, John Irvine, and others, (7 December 1879), vol. 21 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1881), 161.
- [note] George Q. Cannon, "Discourse...," Journal of Discourses, reported by D.W. Evans and John Grimshaw, (5 December 1869), vol. 13 (London: Latter-day Saint's Book Depot, 1871), 47.
Further reading
FairMormon Answers articles
FairMormon web site
- Matthew B. Brown, "Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference. FAIR link (Key source)
External links
- Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, "The Nephi/Moroni Problem", mormonfortress.com. off-site