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  • #209253
    Anonymous
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    Edited: Never mind. I found sources myself. But here you go.

    Quote:

    “Smith’s wife, Emma Smith Bidamon, was interviewed late in her life by her son Joseph Smith III about her knowledge of the early [p.99] church. This interview took place in February 1879 in the presence of Lewis C. Bidamon, her husband. At one point Emma stated the following: ‘In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us… .'”

    Dan Vogel also mentions Emma’s 1879 interview on pages 98-99 of his book, The Word of God

    Quote:

    I cheerfully certify that I was familiar with the manner of Joseph Smith’s translating the book of Mormon. He translated the most of it at my Father’s house. And I often sat by and saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. Joseph never had a curtain drawn between him and his scribe while he was translating. He would place the director in his hat, and then place his [face in his] hat, so as to exclude the light, and then [read] to his scribe the words as they appeared before him.

    Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery, Oliver Cowdery’s wife, 1870

    Quote:

    I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.”

    David Whitmer. An address to all believers in Christ.

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    #290752
    Anonymous
    Guest

    The following link is to FAIRMormon and has many sources:

    http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Translation/Method/1846-1900

    From these I deduce the several trends.

    1) It seems likely that JS used different methods during different phases. The “interpreters” in the beginning and the seer stone later on. I have heard that the interpreters were confiscated after the incident with the 116 pages and not returned but I do not have a good source for this.

    2) The vast majority of the first person accounts indicate that JS did not look at the plates while translating. He either gazed through the spectacles or into a hat. The prohibition against showing the plates was in force but he had some number of spectators during the translation process. Several appear to have been allowed to feel the outline of the plates while concealed under cloth or pillowcase.

    3) There does appear to have been a curtain, a sheet, or blankets used during some parts of the translation process but this seems to have been for some privacy while translating rather than to hide the plates or the method of translation. This may have been neccessary because of the single room layout of the home where the translation was taking place.

    4) I personally feel that the word “translate” is a bit of a misnomer and that revelation or divination might be a more accurate term.

    #290753
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Thanks for the clarification:) right now I am just gathering a source list for myself, for all topics that I find interesting.

    :)

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    #290754
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I tend to use “transmission” instead of “translation”. When I am in a church group meeting, I often say “translated / transmitted”.

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