This category examines historical questions surrounding the gold plates, including their physicality, handling, and eventual fate.
Witnesses of the Gold Plates Introduction From the spring of 1829 through the turbulent years of early missionary preaching, the history of the Restoration produced a wider circle of Book of Mormon witnesses than the formally recognized Three and Eight. These lesser-known accounts—some involving angels, others involving brief glimpses of the plates, and still others … Read more
Introduction The sword of Laban is one of the most iconic artifacts mentioned in the Book of Mormon. While modern Latter-day Saints often associate it with visionary experiences reported by early Church leaders, its historical role begins in Nephi’s narrative and extends through centuries of Nephite history. This episode explores what can be known from … Read more
Doctrine & Covenants 93: Historical and Theological Significance Doctrine and Covenants 93 is considered one of Joseph Smith’s most theologically expansive revelations. Received in 1833, it introduced doctrines not found in traditional Christianity, including: Jesus Christ did not receive a fulness of glory at first but advanced “grace to grace.” Human beings existed as intelligences … Read more
A Frontier Rumor Is Born In April 1834, the Saturday Evening Post printed a brief story about an unnamed “Mormon preacher” in western New York who allegedly claimed he would walk on water. The article named no individuals, relied on secondhand hearsay from an unidentified source, and was itself a reprint. Even the editors admitted … Read more