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Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says ancient prophets wrote the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith translated it by the gift and power of God, with a seer stone. He says he returned the plates.

Updated 2026-10-10 · Latter-day Saints

Author Paul Ambrose · GitHub

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that ancient writers, Mormon among them, wrote the Book of Mormon on metal plates, and that Joseph Smith translated it into English by the gift and power of God. The church’s Gospel Topics essay on the translation also says he placed a seer stone in a hat and read aloud the English words that appeared. Joseph Smith—History, Latter-day Saint scripture in the Pearl of Great Price, says he returned the plates to the heavenly messenger. The plates are not available to read.

Key points

The title page says the book is an account written by the hand of Mormon upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi, to come forth by the gift and power of God. (3)
Joseph Smith—History 1:34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;Joseph Smith—History 1:34 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source says the messenger told him of a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent. (2)
The translation essay says almost all of the present text was dictated between April and June 1829, with Oliver Cowdery as the chief scribe. (1)
The same essay says Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat, and read the English words that appeared. (1)
Joseph Smith—History 1:60 When, according to arrangements, the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he has them in his charge until this day, being the second day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.Joseph Smith—History 1:60 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source says that when the messenger called for the plates, Joseph delivered them up, and the messenger had them in his charge on May 2, 1838. (2)
The Book of Mormon is the page for what the book claims about Jesus. Joseph Smith and Revelation is the page for his claim to speak for God.

Who does the church say wrote it?

The Book of Mormon title page The Book of Mormon An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God. An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.Book of Mormon title page · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source, printed with the book on the church’s scripture site, calls it an account written by the hand of Mormon, abridged from the record of the Nephites and the Lamanites, and sealed by the hand of Moroni. (3) It says the book came forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof, and that it is to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God. The Book of Mormon quotes that title page. This page asks who produced the English book.

Joseph Smith—History 1:34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;Joseph Smith—History 1:34 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source is Joseph’s account in the Pearl of Great Price. (2) On that page He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;Joseph Smith—History 1:34 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source:

He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;

Joseph Smith—History 1:34 · English, churchofjesuschrist.org

The translation essay says the angel charged him to translate the book from the ancient language, which the Book of Mormon calls reformed Egyptian. (1) The essay quotes Joseph’s wife Emma: at the time of translation he could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon. The essay also quotes Joseph that the book was the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of the religion. Those are the church’s claims about ancient authors and a modern translator. The 1830 edition is on the Joseph Smith Papers. (4) This page follows the translation essay and Joseph Smith—History for what the church says about how the English book was produced.

“The Living Christ,” on Gospel Topics, Jesus Christ, says the risen Lord ministered among his other sheep in ancient America. (5) That is the church’s reading of the book’s Jesus narrative. The Book of Mormon quotes 3 Nephi on that appearance. Who wrote the Bible? is the different question of the biblical books. Hebrews 1:1–2 ^1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ^1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;Hebrews 1:1–2 · King James VersionOpen source says God spoke by the prophets and has in these last days spoken by his Son. (6)

How does the church say Joseph Smith translated it?

The essay says a first English transcription, the Book of Lehi, which Joseph referred to as written on 116 pages, was lost or stolen, and that he was rebuked and could not translate for a short time. (1) He began again in 1829. Almost all of the present text was dictated in about three months, April to June, and Oliver Cowdery was the chief scribe. Cowdery wrote that he sat under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven.

The essay describes two instruments. One is the interpreters, two stones, which Joseph Smith—History 1:35 calls the Urim and Thummim. The other is a seer stone Joseph had found in the ground years earlier and had used, as others in that decade did, to look for lost objects and buried treasure. The essay says that as he grew to understand his calling, he used the stone to translate. The scribes’ accounts, the essay says, are the ones that describe the hat. On that page According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.Book of Mormon Translation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source:

According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.

that page · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When he was pressed for the particulars, the essay says, he repeated that it was done by the gift and power of God, and once added that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book. The church prints both the claim of ancient plates and the seer-stone accounts. Joseph Smith and Revelation quotes his later claim that the Lord called him to speak. Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.Galatians 1:8 · King James VersionOpen source says that if an angel from heaven preaches another gospel, let him be accursed. (7) The test is the gospel, which What do Mormons believe? sets beside the Book of Mormon’s “after all we can do.”

Where are the golden plates?

Joseph Smith—History 1:59 At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected.Joseph Smith—History 1:59 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source says that on September 22, 1827, the messenger delivered the plates to him with a charge to keep them safe until the messenger called for them. (2) Verse 60 says he delivered them up. On that page When, according to arrangements, the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he has them in his charge until this day, being the second day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.Joseph Smith—History 1:60 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen source:

When, according to arrangements, the messenger called for them, I delivered them up to him; and he has them in his charge until this day, being the second day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.

Joseph Smith—History 1:59 · English, churchofjesuschrist.org

On the church’s account, the plates are not in a library. They were returned to the messenger. What remains is the English text Joseph dictated, the witnesses the book itself names, and the essay’s account of the stone and the hat. Is the Bible true? is the Christian claim about a text that was copied in many manuscripts and can still be read. The Book of Mormon’s ancient source, on Joseph’s own history, cannot.

Why was Joseph Smith killed?

The church’s essay Becoming Like God, quoted on Do Mormons believe they will become gods?, says that three months after he preached at the April 1844 conference, a mob stormed Carthage Jail and martyred him and his brother Hyrum. That is the church’s sentence. It does not, on this page, need a second story. How many women he had been sealed to by that death is the church’s figure on Do Mormons practice polygamy?: over 30.

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