. . . on the Urim and Thummim that was backfilled into LDS scripture to make Mormon "revelation" history far more glorious than what it actually was.
What, in reality, it was, was a smirk-in-progress revised fairy tale that was undergoing constant revamping and reinvention:
"The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary, H. Michael Marquardt examines the earliest manuscripts of Joseph Smith’s revelations, reaching back into history to preserve the revelations in their original form. In so doing, he returns to the very roots of the Mormon Church, re-establishing ties to a past history of Mormon religion long-lost to some, and never known by others.
"The JS Revelations is an exceptional tool, for it supplies the text of the original manuscripts of Joseph’s revelations, coupled with the current version of those same revelations. Marquardt carefully details what changes have been made to the revelations, where they occur in the text, and, in so far as is possible, when the changes were introduced. As Joseph Smith revised and republished his revelations, these changes were noted by others both inside and outside the Mormon community. Marquardt includes the reactions of these people in a commentary section included with each revelation, and adds his own understanding of the context and significance of the changes. . . .
"As various LDS and non-LDS historians indicate, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and other church leaders added terms and concepts to the evolving rituals and theology of early Mormonism (eg. Bushman, VanWagonner, Marquardt, Quinn). On several occasions, these were added retroactively into older revelations. This gave the appearance that the newer concepts were a part of divinely-given revelation and had been a part of church doctrine all along. Marquardt’s analysis and commentary highlight a number of these retroactive insertions, helping the reader obtain fuller understanding of when and how Mormon doctrine developed.
"For example two revelations published in the1835 D&C (D&C 36 and 42) carry an 1829 date and both mention the term 'Urim and Thummim.' However, Marquardt points out that 'Urim and Thummim' are never mentioned in the Book of Mormon, and do not appear in LDS church literature until 1832, over two years after the revelation. One of these revelations was previously published as BC 9 dated to May 1829. The opening sentence of this revelations reads:
"'Now, behold I say unto you, that because you delivered up so many writings, which you had power to translate, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them, and you have also lost your gift at the same time' (BC 9).
"When the revelation was republished as D&C 36 in 1835, the opening sentence was changed to:
"'Now, behold I say unto you, that because you delivered up so many those writings, which you had power given unto you to translate, by means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them, and you have also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened' (D&C 36; cf. LDS D&C 10:1-2; RLDS D&C 3:1).
"In his commentary, Marquardt notes:
"'In the Evening and the Morning Star, January 1833, is a brief tentative allusion to two biblical objects, Teraphim and Urim and Thummim: 'It [the Book of Mormon] was translated by the gift and power of God, by an unlearned man, through the aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles — (known, perhaps, in ancient days as Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim) [.]'
"Teraphim, it should be noted, were probably some sort of figurines or statues representing the image of idols. Worship of the Teraphim was forbidden by the ten commandments. When mentioned in Israelite context, they are almost always condemned. Teraphim were used for divination by opening up the liver and examining it. It would be an odd quirk of historical fate for someone to suggest that the Teraphim would be used as a means for translating the Book of Mormon. One also wonders if the writer of the Evening and the Morning Star article knew the nature of the biblical Urim and Thummim. There is no evidence that these were used for translation, as the term is presently understood. They were to obtain answers to specific questions which could be answered with a simple yes or no.
"The use of the Urim and Thummim in connection with translating the Book of Mormon became a fact by the end of 1834. Oliver Cowdery wrote: '[H]e [Joseph Smith] translated, with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephite whould [would] have said, "Interpreters," the history, or record, called ‘The Book of Mormon.’
"That 'Urim and Thummim' was an addition to the text is evident since it was a development in early church history and culminated in its inclusion in the 1835 D&C. Primary sources tell us that a seer stone was used in the translation process" (pp. 51-52).
"So, by studying the original revelations we discover that 'Urim and Thummim' is a later addition to the text whose retroactive insertion gives the appearance that Joseph used a biblical means to translate the Book of Mormon, and that this means was known since 1829, before the Mormon church was organized.
"In reality Joseph placed a magical seer stone into his hat--a process that much more resembled pagan divination."
{"Joseph’s Original Revelations: True Roots of Restoration Religion." book review by Joel B. Groat of H. Michael Marquardt's"The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary," Signature Books, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1999, 410 pp, ISBN 1-56085-126-0,
http://mit.irr.org/josephs-original-revelations-true-roots-of-restoration-religion)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2017 06:17AM by steve benson.