Published by the More Faith Team

Question

I would like to know the exact way the Prophet Joseph translated the Book of Mormon. For example, I read that at first he used a "seer stone" instead of the Urim and Thummim, which he placed in his hat and over his face to block the light, and a phrase from the Book of Mormon would appear, and below it would appear the English translation.

Are eyewitness accounts confusing the "seer stone" with the Urim and Thummim? If not, what happened to this stone? I would like to clarify this doubt so that I can understand the mechanisms of tablet translation. Thank you.

Response

You are correct, Joseph used both the “seer stone” and the Urim and Thummim to translate the Book of Mormon. But “the exact manner” in which this was done is not known.

The only recorded words the Prophet ever spoke about how he accomplished the translation are recorded on the title page of the Book of Mormon,“to be revealed by the gift and power of God, that it might be interpreted.”

The ““ seer stone ” was egg-shaped and chocolate-colored. It is true that when using it, at least during the day, the Prophet would place it in a hat and then over his face to block out light, so he could read the inscriptions that would appear on the stone. B.H. Roberts quoted David Whitmer's description of the translation by the “seer stone.”

Then, a piece of something resembling a scroll would appear, and on it, writing would appear. One character would appear at a time, and below it, the English translation.

“Joseph would read the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his chief scribe, and when it was written and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, the character would disappear and another would appear with the interpretation below”
( ( B.H. Roberts, Defense of the Faith and of the Saints, Vol. 1, p. 351 ). ).

ఒక కంచు రొమ్ము కవచానికి లోహపు కాడతో జతచేయబడి, కళ్లజోడు ఆకారంలో అమర్చబడిన రెండు పారదర్శక రాళ్ల (ఊరీమ్ మరియు తుమ్మీమ్) చిత్రం.

What were the Urim and Thummim?

The Urim and Thummim, two transparent stones arranged in an arch somewhat similar to eyeglasses and attached to a breastplate. The prophet used the "seer stone" or the Urim and Thummim in the translation of the Book of Mormon. B.H. Roberts comments on the use of the two instruments in the translation process as follows:

"The summary of the whole matter, then, concerning the manner of translating the sacred record of the Nephites, according to the testimony of the only witnesses, is as follows: With the Nephite record was deposited a curious instrument, consisting of two transparent stones, placed on the rim of an arch, somewhat like a pair of spectacles, but larger, called by the ancient Hebrews 'Urim and Thummim,' but by the Nephites 'interpreters.'

Besides these 'interpreters,' the prophet Joseph had a 'seer stone,'
possessing qualities similar to the Urim and Thummim; that the prophet sometimes used one and sometimes the other
of these sacred instruments in the work of translation; that if the 'interpreters' or the 'seer stone' were used, the Nephite characters with the English interpretation appeared on the sacred instrument; that the Prophet would pronounce the English translation to his scribe, which, when correctly written, would disappear and other characters with their interpretation would take its place, and so forth until the work was done." completed.”
( BH Roberts, The Seventy's Course in Theology, First Year, p.111 )

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