The Scribes' Description

[_Dan Vogel]

Sock puppet,

Was D Whitmer present for all of the 'translation'?

Of course not! Most of the dictation occurred in Harmony, PA, probably Mosiah through Moroni, while 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon were dictated in Fayette, NY. There is no way to determine who was in the room at the Whitmer home when Cowdery was the scribe; hence, there is also no way to determine if David Whitmer saw the Bible being used, especially since it would have occupied no more than two days of dictation. On the other hand, if a Spaulding MS was used, it would have necessarily been used on any day he or other Whitmer family members were present.

[_Fifth Columnist]

I strongly believe that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the way described by God in D&C 9. He made it up and if he felt a burning in his bosom he knew it was right. If he had a stupor of thought instead, then he knew it was wrong and that he needed to think up something different.

I suspect that Martin Harris, being the relatively gullible person he was, assumed that Joseph Smith was reading the text off the stone and so that is the story that went around. Joseph Smith probably felt he didn't need to correct some minor detail like that, especially since it was faith promoting.

As for a manuscript, I thought there were times when Joseph Smith was in one room while the scribe was in a different room. This would help explain the presence of long passages of the KJV in the Book of Mormon. I think the shorter passages (e.g., Alma 13) he could easily memorize and just incorporate into the story.

[_sock puppet]

Sock puppet,

Was D Whitmer present for all of the 'translation'?

Of course not! Most of the dictation occurred in Harmony, PA, probably Mosiah through Moroni, while 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon were dictated in Fayette, NY. There is no way to determine who was in the room at the Whitmer home when Cowdery was the scribe; hence, there is also no way to determine if David Whitmer saw the Bible being used, especially since it would have occupied no more than two days of dictation. On the other hand, if a Spaulding MS was used, it would have necessarily been used on any day he or other Whitmer family members were present.

Thank you, Dan, for that insight.

Do you know in whose handwriting the Isaiah block portions that have survived were written in the O manuscript? I am wondering if perhaps they were written by someone other than the continuing scribe of the Book of Mormon and perhaps just inserted at a point and then 'translation' dictation resumed after that.

[_Dan Vogel]

Sock puppet,

Do you know in whose handwriting the Isaiah block portions that have survived were written in the O manuscript? I am wondering if perhaps they were written by someone other than the continuing scribe of the Book of Mormon and perhaps just inserted at a point and then 'translation' dictation resumed after that.

The Isaiah chapters in the “small plates” are:

1 Ne. 20 = Isa. 48
1 Ne. 21 = Isa. 49
2 Ne. 7 = Isa. 50
2 Ne. 8 = Isa. 51
2 Ne. 12-24 = Isa. 2-14

The scribes for the small plates are (gaps not indicated):

Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne. 2:2-3:6
Scribe 2 = 1 Ne. 3:7-4:14
Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne.4:15-20
Scribe 3 = 1 Ne. 4:20-12:8
Scribe 2 = 1 Ne. 12:9-16:1
Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne. 16:1-Enos 1:14

I have adapted the above from Royal Skousen’s study. I think Joseph Smith treated this block as he did his so-called Inspired Translation of the Bible. He simply took a Bible and made corrections in it by “inspiration” and told Cowdery to copy it. This could be passed off as saving time. About this time, Joseph Smith and the Whitmers went to Palmyra to make arrangements with the printer, but for some reason Cowdery staid in Fayette. It’s possible he was copying from a marked Bible. If this is correct, then Whitmer would not have seen use of the Bible. In any case, he was responding to the claim the Spalding MS was the source for the Book of Mormon, which seemed impossible to him given what he had witnessed.

[_sock puppet]

Sock puppet,

Do you know in whose handwriting the Isaiah block portions that have survived were written in the O manuscript? I am wondering if perhaps they were written by someone other than the continuing scribe of the Book of Mormon and perhaps just inserted at a point and then 'translation' dictation resumed after that.

The Isaiah chapters in the “small plates” are:

1 Ne. 20 = Isa. 48
1 Ne. 21 = Isa. 49
2 Ne. 7 = Isa. 50
2 Ne. 8 = Isa. 51
2 Ne. 12-24 = Isa. 2-14

The scribes for the small plates are (gaps not indicated):

Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne. 2:2-3:6
Scribe 2 = 1 Ne. 3:7-4:14
Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne.4:15-20
Scribe 3 = 1 Ne. 4:20-12:8
Scribe 2 = 1 Ne. 12:9-16:1
Oliver Cowdery = 1 Ne. 16:1-Enos 1:14

I have adapted the above from Royal Skousen’s study. I think Joseph Smith treated this block as he did his so-called Inspired Translation of the Bible. He simply took a Bible and made corrections in it by “inspiration” and told Cowdery to copy it. This could be passed off as saving time. About this time, Joseph Smith and the Whitmers went to Palmyra to make arrangements with the printer, but for some reason Cowdery staid in Fayette. It’s possible he was copying from a marked Bible. If this is correct, then Whitmer would not have seen use of the Bible. In any case, he was responding to the claim the Spalding MS was the source for the Book of Mormon, which seemed impossible to him given what he had witnessed.

Thanks, Dan. Very illuminating, your comments.