The lost 116 pages

[_Seven]

It's interesting that as a young girl in Primary Sunday School I found the lost pages story very fishy. The story never made any sense to me and shook my testimony a little when I would start to think about it.
I wonder how many other kids also find it suspicious? It wasn't until I saw the South Park episode years ago that I finally studied it outside of LDS teaching materials.

Here is what the current Primary Manual is teaching the kids on this story:
http://www.LDS.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?v ... &hideNav=1

Teach the children about the loss of the 116 pages of the manuscript translated from the gold plates, as described in the following historical account (refer to the map where appropriate). Discuss the revelations concerning this event that were given to Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 3 and 10.

Once Joseph and Emma Smith were settled in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Joseph began to translate the gold plates. At first Joseph spent a lot of time becoming familiar with the plates and the language in which they were written. As he studied and prayed, the Urim and Thummim helped him understand the characters on the plates. Joseph learned that the process of translation requires faith, hard work, worthiness, patience, and obedience.

Martin Harris went to Joseph Smith’s home in Harmony to help the Prophet in his work of translating the gold plates. Martin became Joseph’s scribe. As Joseph read out loud from the plates, Martin Harris wrote down the words Joseph read. After two months of work, Joseph had translated the first part of the plates. The translation was written on 116 pages of paper.

Martin asked Joseph if he could take the 116 translated pages back to Palmyra with him. Martin’s wife and friends had criticized him for leaving his farm to help Joseph, and Martin wanted to show them the pages so they would believe he was doing the Lord’s work.

Joseph asked the Lord for permission to let Martin take the translated pages, but the Lord said “no.” Martin asked Joseph to ask the Lord a second time. Joseph asked the Lord again, and again the answer was “no.” Martin pleaded for Joseph to ask the Lord once more. Joseph wanted to satisfy Martin, so he asked the Lord a third time. This time the Lord said Martin could take the translation if he agreed to show it only to his wife and certain other members of his family. Martin promised that he would not show the pages to anyone else. He took the 116 pages of translation to his home in Palmyra.

A few days after Martin left, Emma Smith gave birth to a baby boy who lived only a few hours. Emma was very sick and almost died. For two weeks Joseph stayed by Emma’s side and helped care for her. When Emma became stronger, Joseph became concerned about Martin Harris, who had been gone with the translated pages for three weeks. Emma encouraged Joseph to go to Palmyra to find Martin.

Joseph went to his parents’ home in Palmyra and sent a message for Martin to meet him. When Martin arrived, he cried out, “Oh, I have lost my soul! I have lost my soul!” Joseph jumped up from where he was sitting and exclaimed, “Martin, have you lost that manuscript? Have you broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon my head as well as your own?” (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p. 128). Martin admitted that he had broken his promise and had shown the translated pages to other people. The 116 pages had been lost or stolen.

Joseph exclaimed, “All is lost! all is lost! What shall I do? I have sinned—it is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied with the first answer which I received from the Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my possession” (quoted in Smith, p. 128).

Joseph and Martin suffered greatly because of the loss of the translation. Joseph returned to Harmony, where he prayed for forgiveness. The angel Moroni took the gold plates and the Urim and Thummim for a while. Later, because of Joseph’s sincere repentance, the Lord forgave Joseph, and Moroni returned the plates and the Urim and Thummim. During this time Joseph received the revelations found in Doctrine and Covenants 3 and 10.

Explain that the Lord told Joseph that Satan had influenced some wicked people to take the pages. These people intended to change the words so people would not believe the Book of Mormon (see D&C 10:10–19). Joseph was told not to retranslate the first portion of the plates (see D&C 10:30–31). Because the Lord knows all things, he knew that this incident would happen. He had therefore commanded the ancient prophet Mormon to include a similar account of what was included in the 116 pages in another part of the gold plates (see Words of Mormon 1:3–7). Joseph translated this part instead of retranslating the lost part (see D&C 10:38–42). Joseph learned that Satan and wicked people could not stop Heavenly Father’s work (see D&C 3:1; 10:43).

[_Scottie]

As Joseph read out loud from the plates, Martin Harris wrote down the words Joseph read.

Nice. Yeah, no hiding of the history here, is there??

[_ludwigm]

Joseph learned that the process of translation requires faith, hard work, worthiness, patience, and obedience.

It may requires a little knowledge of both language. The source AND the destination.

... so he asked the Lord a third time. This time the Lord said Martin could take the translation ...

I have asked the Lord seventy seven times if the Book of Mormon is true. The answer was always "no".
I did't want to disturb him more time. (He should forgive me that count)

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

(or is it four hundred ninety ?)

[_why me]

The 116 pages is one of the most preposterous stories in Church history.

In addition to the issue you raise, we should also consider the grander problem, which is this:

Lucy Harris's "plan", as described by Joseph, made no sense.

Lucy's motive was to stop Martin from giving Joseph money. But the plan described by Joseph (wait for Book of Mormon to be published, then produce altered docs to imply the "translation" wasn't real), has a few problems.

First, the plan would require Joseph to continue using Martin's money to translate and finish the book. Without the pages, he would have to start over. So she just guaranteed that Martin would be spending even more time and money on the project.

Then, the only hope she would have for them to recover their money would be to sell the books once they are published. But Joseph described her plan as waiting until the book was published, then acting to discredit it. So after all the time and money is spent, she steps in at the point that she best stands to get her money back.

Lucy Harris was the 19th century equivalent of a wife who is really mad that her husband is playing video games instead of putting the kids to bed. Women in that situation don't formulate complicated and long-range plans to solve the problem. They pull the plug on the PS3 and tell their husband to get back in the saddle. Lucy most likely destroyed the pages, hoping it would put an end to the project (which it did temporarily), and stop Martin from committing more money and time to the endeavor.

It's also interesting that Lucy's so-called "plan" hinged on one fundamental assumption: a tight translation process. If the plan was really enacted, it would have been a simple process for Joseph to tell the truth and explain that translation (even divine translation) is an imprecise process, and there would be natural variations among translations of the same document done at different times, especially as his skills as a translator improved.

Of course this is great speculation. However, we can not place ourselves in this context. It was widely known that Lucy was against the project and Joseph Smith's explanation would make some sense if we see it as a design to stop Martin from donating his money or as a way just to destroy the project and protect Martin's money. The 116 pages suddenly appearing again in altered form certainly would generate enough speculation from the community to perhaps destroy the project in its tracks.

Yes, she could have destroyed the pages by burning them or eating them. But Joseph Smith would not know it. He just knew or felt that Lucy had them and was waiting for a cockup to bring them forth.

[_Scottie]

The 116 pages suddenly appearing again in altered form certainly would generate enough speculation from the community to perhaps destroy the project in its tracks.

How would it destroy the project? Sure, it might be be damaging in the immediate area, but they already had banded together to boycott the book. Even though the 116 pages stayed hidden, the Book of Mormon didn't sell. If they resurfaced, how could they hurt what was already a doomed project?

[_why me]

The 116 pages suddenly appearing again in altered form certainly would generate enough speculation from the community to perhaps destroy the project in its tracks.

How would it destroy the project? Sure, it might be be damaging in the immediate area, but they already had banded together to boycott the book. Even though the 116 pages stayed hidden, the Book of Mormon didn't sell. If they resurfaced, how could they hurt what was already a doomed project?

I always assume that to be alive at that time much more would be known than what we have to go by today. For example, we have a human being that once lived, lucy harris. I have no idea what she said or didn't say to Joseph Smith or to Martin at that time. But what I do know is that she was certainly talking and what we have from her is only a small inkling of what she actually said about the Book of Mormon and Martin's money involvement.

Was the project really doomed? I don't think so but it could have been doomed. We need to remember that because the 116 pages were not redone or resurfaced in altered form, we have 11 more witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Would they have signed on (in an hoax) if those doomed pages were retranslated and Lucy surfaced the original at a later date? I don't think so.

And so, in the end, Joseph Smith was right. And the project succeeded. Now of course, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, translating a holy book, then of course God was right. You choose.

[_harmony]

I always assume that to be alive at that time much more would be known than what we have to go by today. For example, we have a human being that once lived, lucy harris. I have no idea what she said or didn't say to Joseph Smith or to Martin at that time. But what I do know is that she was certainly talking and what we have from her is only a small inkling of what she actually said about the Book of Mormon and Martin's money involvement.

Was the project really doomed? I don't think so but it could have been doomed. We need to remember that because the 116 pages were not redone or resurfaced in altered form, we have 11 more witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Would they have signed on (in an hoax) if those doomed pages were retranslated and Lucy surfaced the original at a later date? I don't think so.

And so, in the end, Joseph Smith was right. And the project succeeded. Now of course, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, translating a holy book, then of course God was right. You choose.

I don't think sinking the project was Lucy's intent. I think she knew Martin would be very upset if the project didn't proceed, but she wanted him to stop wasting the family's money on it. In the interest of marital harmony, she stole the pages but destroyed them, rather than embarrass her husband's idol by producing them later. She protected her money and her marriage; she didn't protect the rest of the world from Joseph though. And why should we care that she threw us under a bus? I'd have done exactly what she did.

[_cinepro]

He just knew or felt that Lucy had them and was waiting for a cockup to bring them forth.

No, Joseph claimed God told him that "wicked men" had altered the manuscript and would use it to try and discredit future publication.

The plan is explicitly revealed in D&C 10. There is no "he just knew or felt" about it.

[_why me]

I always assume that to be alive at that time much more would be known than what we have to go by today. For example, we have a human being that once lived, lucy harris. I have no idea what she said or didn't say to Joseph Smith or to Martin at that time. But what I do know is that she was certainly talking and what we have from her is only a small inkling of what she actually said about the Book of Mormon and Martin's money involvement.

Was the project really doomed? I don't think so but it could have been doomed. We need to remember that because the 116 pages were not redone or resurfaced in altered form, we have 11 more witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Would they have signed on (in an hoax) if those doomed pages were retranslated and Lucy surfaced the original at a later date? I don't think so.

And so, in the end, Joseph Smith was right. And the project succeeded. Now of course, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, translating a holy book, then of course God was right. You choose.

I don't think sinking the project was Lucy's intent. I think she knew Martin would be very upset if the project didn't proceed, but she wanted him to stop wasting the family's money on it. In the interest of marital harmony, she stole the pages but destroyed them, rather than embarrass her husband's idol by producing them later. She protected her money and her marriage; she didn't protect the rest of the world from Joseph though. And why should we care that she threw us under a bus? I'd have done exactly what she did.

And of course this is all speculation. Lucy would have a dog in the fight because of the money. What she intended to do can only be guessed at. But one thing is for sure: she could have made some cash with those pages. And we have no idea just what she was saying and speculating. But those that were around her knew. And they acted accordingly with God's help. And it succeeded. Also, we need to remember that Martin would be in on the fraud since he would later be a witness. And so, do we see Lucy preventing martin from being a fraudster or do we see lucy preventing martin from being duped? You choose.

[_why me]

He just knew or felt that Lucy had them and was waiting for a cockup to bring them forth.

No, Joseph claimed God told him that "wicked men" had altered the manuscript and would use it to try and discredit future publication.

The plan is explicitly revealed in D&C 10. There is no "he just knew or felt" about it.

I am going by the idea that he was a fraudster as a critic would maintain and not as a man of god. If Joseph Smith were a fraudster, it wouldn't really matter what he claimed god said. But as a fraudster, a cockup needed to be avoided.

But as a prophet, god was proven right, since the work progressed and succeeded. And what is in the D&C would imply that Lucy passed on the work to more professional people who would wait for the publication and then attempt to destroy the work.