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Mormonism and Wikipedia/Golden plates/Sealed portion: Difference between revisions

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According to Joseph Smith and others, the book of Golden Plates contained a "sealed" portion
According to Joseph Smith and others, the book of Golden Plates contained a "sealed" portion
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*<ref name="Harvtxt|Smith|1842|p=707"/>  
*<ref name="Harvtxt|Smith|1842|p=707"/>  
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*containing "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof."
*containing "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof."
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*Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:7. The "sealing" of apocalyptic revelations in a book has precedents in the [[Bible]]. See, for example, Isaiah 29:11, Daniel 12:4, and Revelation 5:1–5. The Book of Mormon states that this vision was originally given to the [[Brother of Jared]], recorded by Ether on a set of 24 plates later found by [[Limhi]], and then "sealed up". Book of Mormon, Ether 1:2. According to this account, [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]] copied the plates of Limhi onto the sealed portion of the Golden Plates.  
*Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:7. The "sealing" of apocalyptic revelations in a book has precedents in the [[Bible]]. See, for example, Isaiah 29:11, Daniel 12:4, and Revelation 5:1–5. The Book of Mormon states that this vision was originally given to the [[Brother of Jared]], recorded by Ether on a set of 24 plates later found by [[Limhi]], and then "sealed up". Book of Mormon, Ether 1:2. According to this account, [[Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet)|Moroni]] copied the plates of Limhi onto the sealed portion of the Golden Plates.  
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*Smith never described the nature of the seal, and the language of the [[Book of Mormon]] may be interpreted to describe a sealing that was spiritual, metaphorical,
*Smith never described the nature of the seal, and the language of the [[Book of Mormon]] may be interpreted to describe a sealing that was spiritual, metaphorical,
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*i.e. that the book was "sealed" in the sense that its contents were hidden or kept from public knowledge  
*i.e. that the book was "sealed" in the sense that its contents were hidden or kept from public knowledge  
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*physical, or a combination of these elements.
*physical, or a combination of these elements.
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*The Book of Mormon refers to other documents and plates as being "sealed" by being buried in order to be revealed at some future time. For example, the [[Book of Mormon]] says the entire set of plates was "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord"
*The Book of Mormon refers to other documents and plates as being "sealed" by being buried in order to be revealed at some future time. For example, the [[Book of Mormon]] says the entire set of plates was "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord"
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*{{Harv|Smith|1830|loc=title page}}  
*{{Harv|Smith|1830|loc=title page}}  
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*and that separate records of [[John the Apostle]] were "sealed up to come forth in their purity" in the [[end times]].
*and that separate records of [[John the Apostle]] were "sealed up to come forth in their purity" in the [[end times]].
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*''Book of Mormon'', 1 Nephi 14:26  
*''Book of Mormon'', 1 Nephi 14:26  
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*One set of plates to which the Book of Mormon refers was "sealed up" in the sense that they were written in a language that could not be read.
*One set of plates to which the Book of Mormon refers was "sealed up" in the sense that they were written in a language that could not be read.
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*Book of Mormon, Ether 3:22.
*Book of Mormon, Ether 3:22.
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*Smith may have understood the sealing to be a [[supernatural]] or spiritual sealing "by the power of God" (2 Nephi 27:10),
*Smith may have understood the sealing to be a [[supernatural]] or spiritual sealing "by the power of God" (2 Nephi 27:10),
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*{{Harvtxt|Quinn|1998|pp=195–196}}.  
*{{Harvtxt|Quinn|1998|pp=195–196}}.  
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*an idea supported by a reference in the Book of Mormon to the "interpreters" ([[Seer stones and the Latter Day Saint movement|Urim and Thummim]]) with which Smith said they were buried or "sealed."
*an idea supported by a reference in the Book of Mormon to the "interpreters" ([[Seer stones and the Latter Day Saint movement|Urim and Thummim]]) with which Smith said they were buried or "sealed."
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*Book of Mormon, Ether 4:5. According to [[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]], anyone who looked into the "interpreters", "except by the command of God", would "perish" {{Harv|Harris|1859|p=166}}.
*Book of Mormon, Ether 4:5. According to [[Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints)|Martin Harris]], anyone who looked into the "interpreters", "except by the command of God", would "perish" {{Harv|Harris|1859|p=166}}.
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*Oliver Cowdery also stated that when Smith visited the hill, he was stricken by a supernatural force because the plates were "sealed by the prayer of faith."
*Oliver Cowdery also stated that when Smith visited the hill, he was stricken by a supernatural force because the plates were "sealed by the prayer of faith."
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*{{Harvtxt|Cowdery|1835b|p=198}}.
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*{{Harvtxt|Cowdery|1835b|p=198}}.
Several witnesses described a physical sealing placed on part of the plates by Mormon or Moroni. [[David Whitmer]] said that when an angel showed him the plates in 1829, "a large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them,"
Several witnesses described a physical sealing placed on part of the plates by Mormon or Moroni. [[David Whitmer]] said that when an angel showed him the plates in 1829, "a large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them,"
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*David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in David Whitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221. Near the end of his life, Whitmer said that one section of the book was "loose, in plates, the other solid". {{Harvtxt|Storey|1881}}. that the "sealed" part of the plates were held together as a solid mass "stationary and immovable,"
*David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in David Whitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221. Near the end of his life, Whitmer said that one section of the book was "loose, in plates, the other solid". {{Harvtxt|Storey|1881}}.  
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*{{Harvtxt|Cole|1831}} "as solid to my view as wood,"
*that the "sealed" part of the plates were held together as a solid mass "stationary and immovable,"
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*{{Harvtxt|Poulson|1878}}. and that there were "perceptible marks where the plates appeared to be sealed"<ref name="Harvtxt|Storey|1881">{{Harvtxt|Storey|1881}} with leaves "so securely bound that it was impossible to separate them."
*{{Harvtxt|Cole|1831}}  
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*{{Harvtxt|Whitmer|1888}}. [[Orson Pratt]], who said he had spoken with many witnesses of the plates,{{Harv|Pratt|1859|p=30}}, assumed that Joseph Smith could "break the seal" if only he had been "permitted" {{Harv|Pratt|1877|pp=211–12}}. In 1842, [[Lucy Mack Smith]] said that some of the plates were "sealed together" while others were "loose."
*"as solid to my view as wood,"
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*{{Harvtxt|Smith|1842b|p=27}}. The account of the [[Eight Witnesses]] says they saw the plates in 1829 and handled "as many of the leaves as [Joseph] Smith has translated," implying that they did not examine untranslated parts, such as the sealed portion.<ref name="Harvtxt|Smith|1830|loc=appx"/> In one interview, David Whitmer said that "about half" the book was unsealed;
*{{Harvtxt|Poulson|1878}}.  
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*{{Harvtxt|Cole|1831}}; {{Harvtxt|Poulson|1878}}. in 1881, he said "about one-third" was unsealed.<ref name="Harvtxt|Storey|1881"/> Whitmer's 1881 statement is consistent with an 1856 statement by [[Orson Pratt]], an associate of Smith's who never saw the plates himself but who had spoken with witnesses,
*and that there were "perceptible marks where the plates appeared to be sealed"<ref name="Harvtxt|Storey|1881">{{Harvtxt|Storey|1881}}
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*with leaves "so securely bound that it was impossible to separate them."
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*{{Harvtxt|Whitmer|1888}}.
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*[[Orson Pratt]], who said he had spoken with many witnesses of the plates,{{Harv|Pratt|1859|p=30}},
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*assumed that Joseph Smith could "break the seal" if only he had been "permitted" {{Harv|Pratt|1877|pp=211–12}}.
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*In 1842, [[Lucy Mack Smith]] said that some of the plates were "sealed together" while others were "loose."
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*{{Harvtxt|Smith|1842b|p=27}}.
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*The account of the [[Eight Witnesses]] says they saw the plates in 1829 and handled "as many of the leaves as [Joseph] Smith has translated," implying that they did not examine untranslated parts, such as the sealed portion.<ref name="Harvtxt|Smith|1830|loc=appx"/>
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*In one interview, David Whitmer said that "about half" the book was unsealed;
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*{{Harvtxt|Cole|1831}}; {{Harvtxt|Poulson|1878}}.  
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*in 1881, he said "about one-third" was unsealed.<ref name="Harvtxt|Storey|1881"/>  
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*Whitmer's 1881 statement is consistent with an 1856 statement by [[Orson Pratt]], an associate of Smith's who never saw the plates himself but who had spoken with witnesses,
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*{{Harvtxt|Pratt|1859|p=30}}.
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*{{Harvtxt|Pratt|1859|p=30}}. that "about two-thirds" of the plates were "sealed up".
*that "about two-thirds" of the plates were "sealed up".
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*{{Harvtxt|Pratt|1856|p=347}}.
*{{Harvtxt|Pratt|1856|p=347}}.
{{EndTable}}
{{EndTable}}

Revision as of 16:04, 12 December 2009


"Sealed" portion
A FairMormon Analysis of Wikipedia: Mormonism and Wikipedia/Golden plates
 A work by a collaboration of authors (Link to Wikipedia article here)
The name Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. Wikipedia content is copied and made available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

An analysis of the Wikipedia article "Golden plates" (Version December 10, 2009)

"Sealed" portion

  • physical, or a combination of these elements.
- Wikipedia Main Article: Golden plates– Wikipedia Footnotes: Golden plates–Notes A FAIR Opinion

According to Joseph Smith and others, the book of Golden Plates contained a "sealed" portion

  • containing "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof."
  • Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:7. The "sealing" of apocalyptic revelations in a book has precedents in the Bible. See, for example, Isaiah 29:11, Daniel 12:4, and Revelation 5:1–5. The Book of Mormon states that this vision was originally given to the Brother of Jared, recorded by Ether on a set of 24 plates later found by Limhi, and then "sealed up". Book of Mormon, Ether 1:2. According to this account, Moroni copied the plates of Limhi onto the sealed portion of the Golden Plates.
  • Smith never described the nature of the seal, and the language of the Book of Mormon may be interpreted to describe a sealing that was spiritual, metaphorical,
  • i.e. that the book was "sealed" in the sense that its contents were hidden or kept from public knowledge
  • The Book of Mormon refers to other documents and plates as being "sealed" by being buried in order to be revealed at some future time. For example, the Book of Mormon says the entire set of plates was "sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord"
  • Smith (1830)
  • Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:26
  • One set of plates to which the Book of Mormon refers was "sealed up" in the sense that they were written in a language that could not be read.
  • Book of Mormon, Ether 3:22.
  • Smith may have understood the sealing to be a supernatural or spiritual sealing "by the power of God" (2 Nephi 27:10),
  • Quinn (1998) , pp. 195–196.
  • an idea supported by a reference in the Book of Mormon to the "interpreters" (Urim and Thummim) with which Smith said they were buried or "sealed."
  • Book of Mormon, Ether 4:5. According to Martin Harris, anyone who looked into the "interpreters", "except by the command of God", would "perish" Harris (1859) , p. 166.
  • Oliver Cowdery also stated that when Smith visited the hill, he was stricken by a supernatural force because the plates were "sealed by the prayer of faith."
  • Cowdery (1835b) , p. 198.

Several witnesses described a physical sealing placed on part of the plates by Mormon or Moroni. David Whitmer said that when an angel showed him the plates in 1829, "a large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them,"

  • David Whitmer interview, Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888, in David Whitmer Interviews, ed. Cook, 221. Near the end of his life, Whitmer said that one section of the book was "loose, in plates, the other solid". Storey (1881) .
  • that the "sealed" part of the plates were held together as a solid mass "stationary and immovable,"
  • Cole (1831)
  • "as solid to my view as wood,"
  • Poulson (1878) .
  • and that there were "perceptible marks where the plates appeared to be sealed"<ref name="Harvtxt|Storey|1881">Storey (1881)
  • with leaves "so securely bound that it was impossible to separate them."
  • Whitmer (1888) .
  • Orson Pratt, who said he had spoken with many witnesses of the plates,Pratt (1859) , p. 30,
  • assumed that Joseph Smith could "break the seal" if only he had been "permitted" Pratt (1877) , pp. 211–12.
  • In 1842, Lucy Mack Smith said that some of the plates were "sealed together" while others were "loose."
  • Smith (1842b) , p. 27.
  • The account of the Eight Witnesses says they saw the plates in 1829 and handled "as many of the leaves as [Joseph] Smith has translated," implying that they did not examine untranslated parts, such as the sealed portion.[2]
  • In one interview, David Whitmer said that "about half" the book was unsealed;
  • Cole (1831) ; Poulson (1878) .
  • in 1881, he said "about one-third" was unsealed.[3]
  • Whitmer's 1881 statement is consistent with an 1856 statement by Orson Pratt, an associate of Smith's who never saw the plates himself but who had spoken with witnesses,
  • Pratt (1859) , p. 30.
  • that "about two-thirds" of the plates were "sealed up".
  • Pratt (1856) , p. 347.
  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Harvtxt|Smith|1842|p=707
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Harvtxt|Smith|1830|loc=appx
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Harvtxt|Storey|1881
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