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SpencerMarsh (talk | contribs) (→Martin was actually quite skeptical in the beginning of Joseph's ability to translate) |
SpencerMarsh (talk | contribs) (→Martin was actually quite skeptical in the beginning of Joseph's ability to translate) |
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#He took a copy of characters that Joseph copied from the plates to several professors in New York in order to try and verify them. | #He took a copy of characters that Joseph copied from the plates to several professors in New York in order to try and verify them. | ||
#He swapped the seer stone that Joseph was using during the Book of Mormon translation in order to test the prophet's ability. | #He swapped the seer stone that Joseph was using during the Book of Mormon translation in order to test the prophet's ability. | ||
− | #Before translating the Book of Mormon, he interrogated Emma and Joseph regarding details of the Book of Mormon's appearance.<ref>For a full commentary on this see Bushman, Richard Lyman "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling" (Alfred A. Knopf: New York City, New York 2005) 65. See also ''BioS, 106, 108; Tiffany's Monthly, Aug. 1859, 167.'' Martin Harris said his wife and daughter returned from the visit to the Smiths with a report of having hefted the plates in their box. ''Tiffany's Monthly, Aug, 1859. 168.'' | + | #Before translating the Book of Mormon, he interrogated Emma and Joseph regarding details of the Book of Mormon's appearance.<ref>For a full commentary on this see Bushman, Richard Lyman "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling" (Alfred A. Knopf: New York City, New York 2005) 65. See also ''BioS, 106, 108; Tiffany's Monthly, Aug. 1859, 167.'' Martin Harris said his wife and daughter returned from the visit to the Smiths with a report of having hefted the plates in their box. ''Tiffany's Monthly, Aug, 1859. 168.''</ref> |
# He took the 116 pages of manuscript that he translated to show them to his family. | # He took the 116 pages of manuscript that he translated to show them to his family. | ||
Martin recalled his first discussions with Joseph about the claims regarding plates:
Even in religious matters then, Martin was keenly aware of the risk of mistake and deception.
There are four specific things that Martin did in order to show (and obviously eventually allay) his own skepticism and the skepticism of his family.
It is well-known that Martin Harris took copies of the Book of Mormon characters to Charles Anthon and another language expert. While Anthon would later claim (in partially contradictory statements) that he had told Harris that it was all a fraud, Harris came back more convinced than ever that Joseph could actually translate and showed it later on by mortgaging his farm in order to have the Book of Mormon printed by E.G. Grandin.
During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith often used a small seer stone. On one occasion, Martin Harris switched the stone for another stone of the same appearance. Martin reports what happened:
Once Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge. When the translation resumed, Joseph paused for a long time and then exclaimed, “Martin, what is the matter, all is as dark as Egypt.” Martin then confessed that he wished to “stop the mouths of fools” who told him that the Prophet memorized sentences and merely repeated them. [3]
Here again, Martin conducted a clever "blinded test" of Joseph's ability, and Joseph passed--convincing Martin further.
The story of Martin Harris' desire to take the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript to convince his family and friends that Joseph was a genuine prophet is also well known. Here again, Martin sought to use empirical proof (the manuscript itself) as evidence that Joseph could do what he claimed.
Notes
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