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1 But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles--yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations--
Narrative: That his description of the state of the Jews and Gentiles is true is only part of the point of Nephi's narrative. The point of Nephi's discourse is to show how the words of the righteous of his people will be given to the gentiles, and will be for them an instrument in their conversion to Christ. Thus while it is true that the Christian churches were all in a state of apostasy from the gospel, it is a literary over-statement to declare that they "will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations--." This coloring of the entire world as personally "drunken with iniquity" does not allow for those were genuinely good people. However, this over-statement is not intended to be descriptive of the individuals, but rather the collective world, and is intended not even as descriptive of the general morality, but rather the state of apostasy that will require the instrument of his people's preserved words to bring them to a true knowledge of their Savior.
2 And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.
We must remember that Nephi is not prophesying an accurate historical chronology, but a condensed prophetic future. Thus it is true that the apostasy of the world precedes the final coming of the Savior, and it is true that the coming of the Book of Mormon also follows this apostate state of the world's religions. That much correlation is sufficient for Nephi. Polemic: It is interesting that this conflation of future events is understandable from Nephi's perspective, but certainly not from Joseph Smith's perspective. Were Joseph uniquely penning this future history, we should expect that the chronology would be much more accurate. Certainly there are great numbers of very specifically recognizable historic events which would have been known to Joseph. with an eye to the known past, writing "ancient prophecy" is simple. However, one would expect that the compelling understanding of accomplished history would even more tightly dictate the form of the ancient prophecy. In this specific case, it is obvious that Nephi places the events in the time of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies. This makes perfect internal sense for Nephi's use of Isaiah both as foundational text and as referential text. It does not make sense, however, in Joseph's known world. These prophecies of Christ's coming with the attendant storms, tempests, and devouring fire, have no historical reference for Joseph. For this to have been Joseph's unique invention he would be required to have a very sophisticated understanding of the Isaiah references, and then to include in a litany of known-to-be-fulfilled-prophecy a prophecy that is known not to have occurred. The violation of the chronology makes sense in an ancient prophecy, but not in a modern recasting of history.
3 And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.
7 ¶ And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. Nephi first restructures the introduction to apply specifically to Zion rather than to Ariel. He leave the "dream of a night vision" because it fits in well with his restructuring of the "voice from the dust" into a message from those who "slumber" in death. This is a complex thematic reworking of Isaiah. It is not a simple alteration of words such as we have seen in other instances of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon. This does not come under the aegis of a difference in translation, because it is a complete reworking. It is well-crafted, however, taking literary themes and tying them together into a new cloth. What Nephi is doing corresponds to the later practice that received the name of "pesher." "A pesher is a commentary - at Qumran, a commentary on a well-known biblical passage, usually from the Prophets, but also from Psalms and sometimes even other biblical books like Genesis, Leviticus, or Deuteronomy. The important thing is that the underlying biblical passage being interpreted should be seen a fraught with significance in relation to the ideology or history of the Scroll Community. Often this takes the form of citing a biblical passage or quotation our of context or even sometimes slightly altered, followed by the words, "peshero" or "pesher ha-davar", meaning ‘its interpretation’ or ‘the interpretation of the passage is’. The text then proceeds to give an idiosyncratic interpretation having to do with the history or ideology of the group, with particular reference to contemporary events." (Eisenman, Robert. James the Brother of Jesus. Penguin Books, 1997, p. 81.) The general description of this literary type at Qumran is absolutely parallel to what Nephi is doing with Isaiah. Unlike the sections where Nephi is citing Isaiah, he is here using Isaiah as an interpretation of his own vision for the future. As we examine these texts, we will note that Nephi is shifting contexts and meaning so that Isaiah’s prophecy refers to the events of Nephi’s prophetic dream of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Scriptural: Nephi describes the spiritual state of this world in apostasy. His metaphor is the "dream of a night vision." Nephi is using a concept that is familiar - a dream that seems real, but is not. For the apostate world, they will find themselves as one who is dreaming one of these "real-but-not-real" dreams. All of their actions against Israel will be the result of this false reality. To what does Nephi refer? The apostate world that will receive the Book of Mormon is not one that considered itself apostate. It was not a world that considered itself having left the ways of their God. For the world, they were quite religious, and in their religious fervor, they become as those who fight against Zion. It is like dream because it seems so real, it appears to be so true, and yet there is no truth in it. The religion in which they passionately believe is like a man who eats his fill during the dream. and wakes to find himself hungry. The world dreams that it has the gospel of the Lord, but will find that it is lacking the true substance. It is a world in need of awakening and of being fed with power. It is a world that will need the words of the Book that Nephi and his descendants will write.
4 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.
9 ¶ Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. The new context of these verses in Nephi’s prophecy requires a change in the focus of this verse. Where Isaiah has it directed as Ariel, Nephi moves the locus to "all ye that doeth iniquity." With the shift in context, the rest of the verse fits into Nephi’s vision. Scriptural: Nephi here describes the apostate state of he world. The drunken staggering is the effect off trying to walk without the true light and guide of the gospel. In their apostate condition, this is how the world appears - stumbling along rather than boldly following the true path. For Nephi, this certainly would have echoes of the dream of the Tree of Life, and in imagery recall those who let go of the rod of iron in the mists of darkness. Without that sure guide through the mists, they surely would have appeared as one who stumbles with drink.
5 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.
10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. Nephi is neatly tying together different descriptive themes. He has described the world as dreaming a "dream of a night vision," and now he reinforces that image as well as that of the apostate world. Nephi likens the state of the world again to one who sleeps. This time, while echoing the image of the dream, emphasizes closed eyes of one who is sleeping. Nephi beings with sleep imagery, but transforms the closed eyes of sleep into eyes closed against understanding. At this point, he reprises another theme from Isaiah: Isa. 6:9 9 ¶ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. The eyes that do not see are an image that Nephi constructs into his description of the modern Christian apostate world. This becomes the description of their profession of Christianity, but lack of true understanding of the Lord’s gospel (which therefore necessitates the words of Nephi’s people to restore them to that complete knowledge). In order to emphasize the apostate nature of these people, Nephi also shifts the last phrases of the verse. Where Isaiah is following the imagery of those whose understanding is "covered," Nephi transforms this from a description of the seers of Judah to the behavior of the apostate gentiles, who actively reject their prophets. Thus in Isaiah the prophets and seers are covered because they have apostatized. In Nephi, the prophets and seers are covered because the people have apostatized and rejected them. The image of sleepfulness is necessary as Nephi resets Isaiah's prophecy. This will be an expansion of Isaiah's text. Once again, this is not commentary, but a recasting of the text into a new context. Nephi relies upon Isaiah not as a proof, but as a support for Nephi's own prophetic message.
6 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.
Isa. 29:10 10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. 11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: Of course in Nephi's recasting , he has reset the "voice from the dust" from Isaiah's demeaned people to the voice of those who have died (he does this first in 2 Nephi 26:15) In this verse, the "slumbering" has a dual function. In the previous verse "sleep" refers to those whose eyes were closed to the gospel. In this verse "sleep" refers to the destroyed Nephite nation whose record is being discussed. Not only does Nephi use a sleep as a literary turning point to shift meaning, but he also creates an interesting tension between the world and the words of the slumbering Nephites. The "slumbering" will bring salvation to those who are as though asleep. by using the same imagery for both ends of the continuum, Nephi inextricably ties them together in intent and purpose. The slumbering of the Nephites is for the sleep of the rulers and wise of the word. The effect will be the awakening of the world to the gospel (and thereby the eventual redemption of the Nephites who sleep). It is also interesting to note that in the recasting of Isaiah Nephi makes a split here in the base text. Nephi uses the theme of sleeping to move his vision along, but the explanation of the book now comes to the fore. The important part of the verse for Nephi’s current examination is the nature of the sealed book itself. The next verses are descriptive of the "sealed" book and are not directly based upon Isaiah. Nephi will return to Isaiah when he is ready to return to the delivery of the sealed book to the learned man.
7 And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.
The sealed book in the Old Testament is not an unusual theme. In the Old World context, the sealed book is one where the meaning is unavailable. Nephi is reshaping this definition. Because he tells us of the contents, the unavailability of the meaning of the book is no longer the definition of "sealed." Nephi is presenting a sealed book but as with the rest of his prophecy, a sealed book prophecy customized to fit the events of the introduction of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon will be "sealed" in multiple senses. It will be "sealed" in that the meaning is hidden until it is translated. It will be "sealed" because it has been hidden from the world (note Moroni’s use of "sealed" in the Title page: 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). Finally, it is "sealed" because a portion of the book is physically sealed. Nephi sees that the plates for the Book of Mormon will be physically sealed. As he describes the sealed section, he gives us the only known description of the contents of the sealed section of the Book of Mormon. It contains a prophetic history of the world from the creation to the end of time. If the sealed section's prophetic history is at all comparable in detail to Nephi's visions that are recorded that very explicit nature of the prophecy is the best reason for sealing the book. Such detail is best in either hindsight to confirm the hand of the Lord, or (as in the case of Nephi) sufficiently removed from the events that the detail will not be able to alter the agency of those who would live in those times. The modern communications make this second condition impossible, and the sealing of the book the most natural solution.
8 Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.
Certainly the unsealed portion of the Book has already come too us in the time that we were prepared to receive it. The continued delay in receiving this sealed section suggests that the "people" upon whom the timing depends might be the entire world. The condition when the entire world will be past its wickedness and abominations is descriptive of the end of time. Since Nephi's future history also includes some events from that ultimate triumphant return of the Messiah, it is most likely that the sealed section will not be available to us before that time.
9 But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another;
Very specifically, however, these words from the first man, Joseph, are to be given to another man. There is no question that tradition places professor Anthon in the role of this second man.
10 But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.
The last sentence may contradict this reading, as it deals with revelation of things past and future. However, in the prophetic mode of collapsing time, this may simply be a later phase of the prophecy, or may have a parallel fulfillment in the return of living prophets to the earth.
12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.
"In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the Lord, to whom He would grant that they should see the plates from which this work (the Book of Mormon) should be translated; and that these witnesses should bear record of the same, as will be found recorded, Book of Mormon, page 581 [Book of Ether, chapter 5, verses 2, 3 and 4, p. 487, edition 1920], also page 86 [2 Nephi, chapter 11, verse 3, p. 73, edition 1920]. fn Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and the aforementioned Martin Harris (who had come to inquire after our progress in the work) that they would have me inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of him the privilege to be these three special witnesses; and finally they became so very solicitous, and urged me so much to inquire that at length I complied; and through the Urim and Thummim, I obtained of the Lord for them the following: (DC 17) Not many days after the above commandment was given, we four, viz., Martin Harris, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and myself, agreed to retire into the woods, and try to obtain, by fervent and humble prayer, the fulfilment of the promises given in the above revelation—that they should have a view of the plates. We accordingly made choice of a piece of woods convenient to Mr. Whitmer's house, to which we retired, and having knelt down, we began to pray in much faith to Almighty God to bestow upon us a realization of these promises. According to previous arrangement, I commenced prayer to our Heavenly Father, and was followed by each of the others in succession. We did not at the first trial, however, obtain any answer or manifestation of divine favor in our behalf. We again observed the same order of prayer, each calling on and praying fervently to God in rotation, but with the same result as before. Upon this, our second failure, Martin Harris proposed that he should withdraw himself from us, believing, as he expressed himself, that his presence was the cause of our not obtaining what we wished for. He accordingly with drew from us, and we knelt down again, and had not been many minutes engaged in prayer, when presently we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to have a view of. He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings theron distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer, and said, "David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments;" when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, "These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear." I now left David and Oliver, and went in pursuit of Martin Harris, whom I found at a considerable distance, fervently engaged in prayer. He soon told me, however, that he had not yet prevailed with the Lord, and earnestly requested me to join him in prayer, that he also might realize the same blessings which we had just received. We accordingly joined in prayer, and ultimately obtained our desires, for before we had yet finished, the same vision was opened to our view, at least it was again opened to me, and I once more beheld and heard the same things; whilst at the same moment, Martin Harris cried out, apparently in an ecstasy of joy, " 'Tis enough; 'tis enough; mine eyes have beheld; mine eyes have beheld;" and jumping up, he shouted, "Hosanna," blessing God, and otherwise rejoiced exceedingly." (History of the Church Volume 1, p. 52 - 53). "In the first edition of the Book of Mormon the testimony of Three Witnesses, and also the Testimony of Eight Witnesses appear at the end—or on the last two pages of the volume, instead of being, as in the later editions, on the page following the title-page." (History of the Church Volume 1, Footnotes)
13 And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead. 2 Nephi 27:14 14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!
"The following day, we returned, a cheerful, happy company. In a few days, we were followed by Joseph, Oliver and the Whitmers, who came to make us a visit, and make some arrangements about getting the book printed. fn Soon after they came, all the male part of the company, with my husband, Samuel and Hyrum, retired to a place where the family were in the habit of offering up their secret devotions to God. They went to this place, because it had been revealed to Joseph that the plates would be carried thither by one of the ancient Nephites. Here it was, that those eight witnesses, whose names are recorded in the Book of Mormon, looked upon them and handled them." (Smith, Lucy Mack. History Of Joseph Smith By His Mother Lucy Mack Smith, p. 154) The footnote to this passage suggests the timing of the experience of the eight: "It is probable, from this account, that the Eight Witnesses saw the plates during the week following the vision of the Three Witnesses. This would be the last week of June or the first week of July, 1829." (History Of Joseph Smith By His Mother Lucy Mack Smith, Footnotes) Nephi explains this testimony of witnesses. Their word was to stand as a testimony for those who spoke from he dust. The Lord always intended that the Book of Mormon be a testimony of righteous people, not tangible objects. It is a book for faith.
15 But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them.
Isa. 29:11 11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: In Isaiah’s context, the "sealed book" is sealed as to its meaning. This "sealed" book is take to the learned who should know how to read the book. That the learned man cannot is proof that his learning is not inclusive of spiritual vision, else he would have the key to unseal the book. For Isaiah, the passage is a condemnation of the presumption of worldly wisdom. Nephi is again transforming meaning to fit into an event to come. The visit of Martin Harris to Charles Anthon is described in the Joseph Smith story in the Pearl of Great Price: Joseph Smith - History 1:62 63 Sometime in this month of February, the aforementioned Mr. Martin Harris came to our place, got the characters which I had drawn off the plates, and started with them to the city of New York. For what took place relative to him and the characters, I refer to his own account of the circumstances, as he related them to me after his return, which was as follows: 64 "I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him. 65 "He then said to me, 'Let me see that certificate.' I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, 'I cannot read a sealed book.' I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation." 66 On the 5th day of April, 1829, Oliver Cowdery came to my house, until which time I had never seen him. He stated to me that having been teaching school in the neighborhood where my father resided, and my father being one of those who sent to the school, he went to board for a season at his house, and while there the family related to him the circumstances of my having received the plates, and accordingly he had come to make inquiries of me. Historical: This incident takes place early in the translation of the Book of Mormon, in February of 1828. This date precedes the loss of the 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Lehi. It is doubtful that the Book of Lehi would have contained this impassioned vision of Nephi, as it appears to be written very specifically as the conclusion to Nephi’s personal record. Both the nature of this vision and the lack of any mention of this prophecy in Martin Harris’ story indicate that it had nothing to do in setting up the circumstances of Harris’ visit to Anthon. Of course, Mr. Anthon denied having given any encouragement to Martin Harris. B. H. Roberts preserves two known letters from Charles Anthon referring to that event: "Some years after this, viz., in 1834, Professor Anthon, in a letter to Mr. E. D. Howe, of Painesville, Ohio, made a statement as to what took place on the occasion of Martin Harris' visit to him, and I give that statement below in full. By way of introduction it should be said, however, that Mr. E. D. Howe at the time (1834) was connected with a Dr. Hurlburt in the production of an anti-"Mormon" book, and the report of Harris' interview with the learned professor having become known, Mr. Howe wrote to Professor Anthon making inquiries about it, hoping, perhaps, that the fact of the interview might be denied. This is the letter he received in reply to his inquiries: ANTHON'S LETTER TO E. D. HOWE NEW YORK, February 17, 1834. "Dear Sir: I received your letter of the 9th, and lose no time in making a reply. The whole story about my pronouncing the Mormon inscription to be reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics is perfectly false. Some years ago, a plain, apparently simple-hearted farmer called on me with a note from Dr. Mitchell, of our city, now dead, requesting me to decipher, if possible, the paper which the farmer would hand me. Upon examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all a trick—perhaps a hoax. When I asked the person who brought it how he obtained the writing, he gave me the following account: A gold book consisting of a number of plates, fastened together by wires of the same material, had been dug up in the northern part of the state of New York, and along with it an enormous pair of spectacles. These spectacles were so large that if a person attempted to look through them, his two eyes would look through one glass only, the spectacles in question being altogether too large for the human face. 'Whoever,' he said, 'examined the plates through the glasses was enabled not only to read them, but fully to understand their meaning.' All this knowledge, however, was confined to a young man, who had the trunk containing the book and spectacles in his sole possession. This young man was placed behind a curtain in a garret in a farm-house, and being thus concealed from view, he put on the spectacles occasionally or rather looked through one of the glasses, deciphered the characters in the book, and having committed some of them to paper, handed copies from behind the curtain to those who stood outside. Not a word was said about their being deciphered by the gift of God. Everything in this way was effected by the large pair of spectacles. The farmer added that he had been requested to contribute a sum of money toward the publication of the golden book, the contents of which would, as he was told, produce an entire change in the world, and save it from ruin. So urgent had been these solicitations, that he intended selling his farm and giving the amount to those who wished to publish the plates. As a last precautionary step, he had resolved to come to New York, and obtain the opinion of the learned about the meaning of the paper which he brought with him, and which had been given him as a part of the contents of the book, although no translation had at that time been made by the young man with spectacles. On hearing this odd story, I changed my opinion about the paper, and instead of viewing it any longer as a hoax, I began to regard it as part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I communicated my suspicions to him to beware of rogues. He requested an opinion from me in writing, which, of course, I declined to give, and he then took his leave, taking his paper with him. I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I have frequently conversed with friends on the subject since the Mormon excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained anything else but Egyptian hieroglyphics. Some time after the farmer paid me a second visit. He brought with him the gold book in print, and offered it to me for sale. I declined purchasing. He then asked permission to leave the book with me for examination. I declined receiving it, although his manner was strangely urgent. I adverted once more to the roguery which, in my opinion, had been practiced upon him, and asked him what had become of the gold plates. He informed me they were in a trunk with the spectacles. I advised him to go to a magistrate and have the trunk examined. He said the curse of God would come upon him if he did. On my pressing him, however, to go to a magistrate, he told me he would open the trunk if I would take the curse of God upon myself. I replied that I would do so with the greatest willingness, and would incur every risk of that nature, provided I could only extricate him from the grasp of the rogues. He then left me. I have given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin of Mormonism and must beg of you as a personal favor to publish this letter immediately, should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched fanatics. Yours respectfully, [Signed] CHAS. ANTHON." In addition to this acknowledgment of the visit of Martin Harris to him with the transcript of the Nephite characters, Professor Anthon subsequently made another acknowledgment of Martin Harris' visit, in a letter written to Rev. Dr. T. W. Coit, Rector of Trinity church, Rochelle, West Chester county, New York, in answer to a note of inquiry from that gentleman, concerning the professor's connection with the Book of Mormon. ANTHON'S LETTER TO DR. T. W. COIT NEW YORK, APRIL 3, 1841 "Rev. and Dear Sir: I have often heard that the Mormons claimed me for an auxiliary, but as no one until the present time has even requested from me a statement in writing, I have not deemed it worth while to say anything publicly on the subject. What I do know of the sect relates to some of the early movements; and as the facts may amuse you, while they will furnish a satisfactory answer to the charge of my being a Mormon proselyte, I proceed to lay them before you in detail. "Many years ago—the precise date I do not now recollect,—a plain-looking countryman called upon me with a letter from Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, requesting me to examine, and give my opinion upon a certain paper, marked with various characters, which the doctor confessed he could not decipher, and which the bearer of the note was very anxious to have explained. A very brief examination of the paper convinced me that it was a mere hoax, a very clumsy one too. The characters were arranged in columns, like the Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley that I ever beheld. Greek, Hebrew and all sorts of letters, more or less distorted, either through unskilfulness or from actual design, were intermingled with sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexican zodiac. The conclusion was irresistible, that some cunning fellow had prepared the paper in question for the purpose of imposing upon the countryman, who brought it, and I told the man so without any hesitation. He then proceeded to give me the history of the whole affair, which convinced me that he had fallen into the hands of some sharper, while it left me in great astonishment at his simplicity. "The countryman told me that a gold book had been recently dug up in the western or northern part (I forget which), of our state, and he described this book as consisting of many gold plates like leaves, secured by a gold wire passing through the edge of each, just as the leaves of a book are sewed together, and presented in this way the appearance of a volume. Each plate, according to him, was inscribed with unknown characters, and the paper which he handed me, a transcript of one of these pages. "On my asking him by whom the copy was made, he gravely stated, that along with the golden book there had been dug up a very large pair of spectacles! so large in fact that if a man were to hold them in front of his face, his two eyes would merely look through one of the glasses, and the remaining part of the spectacles would project a considerable distance sideways! These spectacles possessed, it seems a very valuable property, of enabling any one who looked through them, (or rather through one of the lenses,) not only to decipher the characters on the plates, but also to comprehend their exact meaning, and be able to translate them! "My informant assured me that this curious property of the spectacles had been actually tested, and found to be true. A young man, it seems, had been placed in the garret of a farm-house, with a curtain before him, and having fastened the spectacles to his head, had read several pages in the golden book, and communicated their contents in writing to certain persons stationed on the outside of the curtain. He had also copied off one page of the book in the original character, which he had in like manner handed over to those who were separated from him by the curtain, and this copy was the paper which the countryman had brought with him. "As the golden book was said to contain very great truths, and most important revelations of a religious nature, a strong desire had been expressed by several persons in the countryman's neighborhood, to have the whole work translated and published. A proposition had accordingly been made to my informant, to sell his farm, and apply the proceeds to the printing of the golden book, and the golden plates were to be left with him as a security until he should be reimbursed by the sale of the work. To convince him more clearly that there was no risk whatever in the matter, and that the work was actually what it claimed to be, he was told to take the paper, which purported to be a copy of one of the pages of the book, to the city of New York, and submit it to the learned in that quarter, who would soon dispel all his doubts, and satisfy him as to the perfect safety of the investment. "As Dr. Mitchell was our 'Magnus Appollo' in those days, the man called first upon him; but the Doctor, evidently suspecting some trick, declined giving any opinion about the matter, and sent the countryman down to the college, to see, in all probability, what the 'learned pundits' in that place would make of the affair. "On my telling the bearer of the paper that an attempt had been made to impose on him and defraud him of his property, he requested me to give him my opinion in writing about the paper which he had shown me. I did so without hesitation, partly for the man's sake, and partly to let the individual 'behind the curtain' see that his trick was discovered. The import of what I wrote was, as far as I can now recollect, simply this, that the marks in the paper appeared to be merely an imitation of various alphabetical characters, and had, in my opinion, no meaning at all connected with them. The countryman then took his leave, with many thanks, and with the express declaration that he would in no shape part with his farm, or embark in the speculation of printing the golden book. "The matter rested here for a considerable time, until one day, when I had ceased entirely to think of the countryman and his paper, this same individual to my great surprise paid me a second visit. He now brought with him a duodecimo volume, which he said was a translation into English of the 'Golden Bible.' He also stated that notwithstanding his original determination not to sell his farm, he had been induced eventually to do so, and apply the money to the publication of the book, and received the golden plates as a security for repayment. He begged my acceptance of the volume, assuring me that it would be found extremely interesting, and that it was already 'making great noise' in the upper part of the state. Suspecting now, that some serious trick was on foot, and that my plain-looking visitor might be in fact a very cunning fellow, I declined his present, and merely contented myself with a slight examination of the volume while he stood by. The more I declined receiving it, however, the more urgent the man became in offering the book until at last I told him plainly that if he left the volume, as he said he intended to do, I should most assuredly throw it after him as he departed. "I then asked him how he could be so foolish as to sell his farm and engage in this affair; and requested him to tell me if the plates were really of gold. In answer to this latter inquiry, he said, that he had not seen the plates themselves, which were carefully locked up in a trunk, but that he had the trunk in his possession. I advised him by all means to open the trunk and examine its contents, and if the plates proved to be gold, which I did not believe at all, to sell them immediately. His reply was, that if he opened the trunk, the 'curse of Heaven would descend upon him and his children.' However, added he, 'I will agree to open it, provided you take the 'curse of Heaven' upon yourself, for having advised me to the step.' I told him I was perfectly willing to do so, and begged he would hasten home and examine the trunk, for he would find he had been cheated. He promised to do as I recommended, and left me, taking his book with him. I have never seen him since. "Such is a plain statement of all I know respecting Mormons. My impression now is, that the plain-looking countryman was none other than the Prophet Smith himself, who assumed an appearance of great simplicity in order to entrap me, if possible, into some recommendation of his book. That the Prophet aided me by his inspiration in interpreting the volume, is only one of the many amusing falsehoods which the Mormonites utter, relative to my participation in their doctrines. Of these doctrines I know nothing whatever, nor have I ever heard a single discourse from any of their preachers, although I have often felt a strong curiosity to become an auditor, since my friends tell me that they frequently name me in their sermons, and even go so far as to say, that I am alluded to in the prophecies of scripture! "If what I have here written shall prove of any service in opening the eyes of some of their deluded followers to the real designs of those who profess to be the apostles of Mormonism, it will afford me satisfaction equalled, I have no doubt, only by that which yourself will feel on this subject. "I remain, very respectfully and truly, your friend, [Signed] CHAS. ANTHON." "It will be observed that there is a discrepancy between the letter written by Professor Anthon to the Rev. Mr. Coit and the one he sent to E. D. Howe. In the latter he states that he refused to give his opinion in writing on the characters submitted to him; but in his letter to Rev. Coit he says that he gave a written opinion to Harris without hesitation, and to the effect that the marks on the paper appeared to be an imitation of various alphabetical characters that had no meaning at all connected with them. According to Martin Harris' statement Professor Anthon gave him a certificate to the effect that the characters submitted were genuine, and that the translation accompanying them was correct; but upon hearing that the existence of the Nephite plates was made known to Joseph Smith by a heavenly messenger, he requested the return of the paper he had given to Martin Harris, and he destroyed it, saying that the visitation of angels had ceased, etc., etc. …. The statements of Professor Anthon and Martin Harris are very contradictory, but the sequence will show that there is much that supports the statement of Martin Harris in the main as true; while the anxiety of the professor to disconnect himself as far as possible from any association with "these wretched fanatics," will account for his version of the incident. The object of Mr. Harris in presenting these transcribed characters to the learned professors was, undoubtedly, to learn if they were true characters, or only the idle invention of Joseph Smith. That the answers of both Professor Anthon and Dr. Mitchell were in favor of their being true characters is evidenced by the fact that Martin Harris returned immediately to Joseph Smith, in Harmony, made his report, and thence went to Palmyra to arrange his business affairs that he might hasten back to Harmony to become the amanuensis of the Prophet in the work of translation. This Martin Harris would not likely have done if Professor Anthon's answer had been what that gentleman represents it to have been in his letters to Mr. Howe and the Rev. Coit; nor is it likely that Martin Harris would have ventured, subsequently, to have furnished the money to pay for the publication of the first edition of the Book of Mormon, had he been assured by the professor that the whole thing was a "hoax" or a "scheme" to cheat him out of his money." (Roberts, B. H. A Comprehensive History of the Church. 1:102). Elder Roberts is quite correct about the essential nature of the encounter of Harris and Anthon. Whatever the precise nature of the proceedings, the end result was sufficiently satisfactory to Harris that he was willing to commit to the enterprise. As Elder Roberts specifically points out, this would have been quite unlikely if Professor Anthon had been as negative as these two letters suggest. Nevertheless, it must be noted that there is a note of irony in any affirmation by Professor Anthon on the validity of the characters. At the time of the presentation of the characters, there were very few who were expert in the translation of Egyptian. The Rosetta Stone had been discovered in 1799, but Champollion first described his translation in 1822. Above even that, the copy of the characters extant indicates that they are not any known script (though there are some intriguing possibilities among some very enigmatic cylinder seals in Mesoamerica).Thus even had Professor Anthon been absolutely enthusiastic about the authenticity of the characters, his opinion would hold no value in current scholarship. There are two important points to remember about this incident. First, that it was sufficient evidence for Martin Harris to commit to the publication of the Book of Mormon; and second, that the conversation with Professor Anthon contained a statement sufficiently close to "I can’t read a sealed book" that Martin Harris appears to see this as a fulfillment of scripture. This impression would have been cemented upon the translation of this section of Nephi, in which Martin Harris would certainly have seen himself as the instrument of the fulfillment of prophecy.
16 And now, because of the glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God.
Veiled in this description of the intent of the "other man" is probably a continued indication to Joseph Smith that he too should avoid such temptations.
17 And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. 2 Nephi 27:18 18 Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it. 2 Nephi 27:19 19 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.
Isa. 29:11 11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: Isa. 29:12 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. The shift in the context of Isaiah's words creates an alteration in the sequence of the actual history. Because of the format of Isaiah's text, the unlearned man must get and read the text after the refusal of the learned in fact, Joseph as the unlearned man had begun the translation, and the Anthon incident is Martin Harris’ way of gaining enough confidence to be willing to mortgage his farm to support the Book. The text must also shift from the delivery of the book in Isaiah to the refusal in Nephi. While the texts are certainly similar, Nephi’s text is descriptive of specific events of the restoration. Textual: It is possible that the very precise connection between Nephi’s prophecy and the actual experience has been influenced by the experience itself. The presentation of the characters to Professor Anthon occurred before this text is translated, and so Nephi’s plate text is likely translated in such a way as to be precise. Of course, this is not to say that Nephi could not have foreseen the events this precisely, but rather that given the nature of the translation methodology of the Book of Mormon, Joseph’s choice of words and phrases for the English rendition of Nephi’s meaning would have necessarily taken known experience into account. This precision stands in contrast to other alterations of sequence in Nephi, once again suggesting that Nephi’s vision gave the outlines of the future history, and that this particular incident has received a translation that is allowed to be precise because the prophecy had so recently been fulfilled.
20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.
D&C 1:19 19 The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh— The weak things of the world becomes a reference to the Lord’s preference to bring about his marvelous work and a wonder through extraordinary means rather than through the paths of the politically or scholastically powerful. The Lord is reminding us that this is a work not of men, but of God, and the transformation of these "weak things" - these relatively unlearned and certainly un-powerful men - into representatives of God is part of the miracle - part of the marvelous work. The process of alteration in these representatives yielded men who could no longer be described as "weak things." The prophet Joseph Smith may have begun as a "weak" teenager of no social status, but he became the powerful leader of a people, and of a return to God. This is what Ether means: Ether 12:27 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. The Lord is not denigrating the idea of being learned, but is specifically contrasting the learning of the world with the power of the Spirit in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is miraculous, and through the miracle of its existence, it can have the power to bring men to Christ. To understand the reason the Lord chose this mechanism over the bringing the Book of Mormon text to the world though the scholars can be seen in the case of the Dead Sea scrolls. While the discovery of the scrolls and the preservation of those which have been recovered might be considered miraculous, because both the discovery and the translation came through the learned of the world, the miraculous nature is little understood nor stressed. The translation of the scrolls also comes through men, and not (directly) through the inspiration of God. Thus the scroll texts are embroiled in translation controversy with some seeing clear pointers to Jesus and others providing a completely different translation of the same passages. While the scrolls have no intent to teach of Christ they nevertheless could be a powerful witness for the passion of God's people for Him. While they still evidence that devotion, they have no real power for bringing souls to God. They are texts from history, and the learned who have brought them forth necessarily remove the patina of miracle from them. So it would have been with the Book of Mormon. It is the very miraculous nature of the translation and delivery of he Book that provides its compelling power, above and beyond the words themselves. Textual: Note that this verse presents a shift in both speaker and audience. Where the rest of the verses have been Nephi’s vision, this verse is very specifically placed in the mouth of God, and directed not at a general audience, but very specifically at the unlearned one who receives the "sealed book."
21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work. 2 Nephi 27:22 22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men. 2 Nephi 27:23 23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.
Textual: These three verses, along with verse 20, present an interesting change in the flow of the narrative. They are absolutely an interruption in the story, a shift from Nephi speaking to a generic audience to the Lord speaking to Joseph Smith. Regardless of how we understand the plate text, these verses are written directly to Joseph Smith, and are direct instructions to him. We might speculate that the translation method allowed the Lord to interrupt the plate text for this very specific command to Joseph Smith, based upon the text that was being translated. In a very real way, this would treat Nephi’s text just as Nephi treated Isaiah’s - as a springboard to revelatory communication. Of course it is equally likely that the text was part of the prophecy. There is no way to tell, but neither interpretation of these verses violates the general integrity of an inspired translation of an ancient text.
24 And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him: 2 Nephi 27:25 25 Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men--
13 ¶ Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: In this case, there are few changes in Isaiah’s text. The major change comes in verse 24 where the words are reset from the Israelite context to a modern one. The admonition is shifted from an straying Judah to an apostate gentile world. Variant: It is interesting that the few changes in the text from Isaiah in the KJV are consistent with dictation, and probably not a dictation from a source that is being read precisely. Notice the addition of an "s" to "heart(s)" and "toward(s)." This shift cannot come from the written text, and has no informational purpose. It is consistent only with a shift from the more formal language to a more colloquial reading - again consistent with the dictation to Oliver. While we cannot be certain whether it was Joseph or Oliver who added the "s" in each case, the presumption would be that it was Joseph. Assuming Joseph as the one who added the "s," he either was not directly reading from a KJV text, or simply read from habitual use rather than with precision. The addition of the "s" to "heart" in particular is due to an attempt to pluralize "heart" to match with the plural idea of "people." That change could occur only if Joseph were mentally processing the information is some manner rather than reading with precision.
26 Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. The context continues to be different, of course, with the modern referent being most immediately the "wise man" who couldn’t read the sealed book, but it becomes inclusively the modern apostate gentile nation, whose wisdom in their own eyes will be confounded by the evidence of the righteous words of Nephi’s people.
27 And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? The changes in this verse show greater similarities to the previous Isaiah translations earlier in 2 Nephi than the very loose reinterpretations we have seen in this chapter. From here to the end of the chapter Nephi holds tighter to the original Isaiah text, but with minor variation. The variations suggest that Nephi has finished with most of the casting of the Isaianic passages, and is now back to his normal custom of finishing a unit. Having recast the first section, he finishes Isaiah because it is still applicable, but not essential to the re-use of the text to which Nephi has put it. Note erroneous shift of intent in the phrase "turning of things upside down." In Isaiah, this is a phrase that the Lord speaks to Israel - the same referent as the "shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not?" In Isaiah, this is an important sequence that makes sense of the questions of the thing made and the maker. The Book of Mormon rephrasing places directs this phrase to the Lord, thus disconnecting it from the essential following phrases. This type of "error" is typical of the changes I suspect of Joseph’s participation in the translation. It doesn’t fit into the greater care with which Nephi has constructed his pesher on Isaiah’s text.
28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. 2 Nephi 27:29 29 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
Isa. 29:17 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? 18 ¶ And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. In both Isaiah and Nephi, the reference to Lebanon as a fruitful field is a reference to the events of the end time. For Nephi specifically, he is placing the coming of the Book of Mormon in the general timeframe of the "last days."
30 And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Both Isaiah and Nephi are describing the state of the end of the world.
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: Both "the terrible one" and "the scorner" are epithets applied to Satan. Isaiah frequently uses literary parallels, and in this case the parallels are simply the descriptions applied to the same person. It is because Satan is "brought to naught" that we further understand that these verses apply to the last days. It is also because Satan is "brought to naught" that "all that watch for iniquity are cut off," that is, the wicked have lost their source or inspiration. The binding of Satan also removes the basis for iniquity of the wicked.
32 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. 2 Nephi 27:33 33 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. 22 Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. Verse 32 is a transitional verse from the 31. Because verse 31 discussed the binding of Satan, and ended font of inspiration of the wicked, it will also herald the reversal of fortune for the just. It is a literary device of Isaiah to have the just as oppressed and the wicked as the powerful oppressors. This exaggerated description serves to highlight the effect of the Messianic redemption. That redemption becomes the subject of the ending verses, applicable to both Isaiah’s and Nephi’s purposes. The diminution of the power of the wicked removes the reason that the just were made "an offender for a word." With the adversary gone, verse 33 moves to the redemptive them, invoking Abraham as the symbol of the completeness of the redemption. The invocation of Abraham serves to link not only the beginning of the covenant with the fulfillment of the covenant, but the symbolic beginning of time with the symbolic ending of time. Literarily, this creates a picture of completion and inclusion.
34 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 2 Nephi 27:35 35 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
23 But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. Continuing the redemptive theme, when the children of God see and recognize his works they will return to their God. Notice that in verse 34 Isaiah specifies that the Lord will be "in the midst of them," another direct reference to the Messianic rule in the last days. Under the rulership of their Messiah, the children of God (which Nephi has certainly expanded to include the Gentiles, even if that is not implied in Isaiah) will finally "come to understanding." For Nephi’s use of Isaiah’s scripture, this "coming to understanding," references the apostate gentiles who will receive the words of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon figures as an agent in the process whereby the gentiles will "come to an understanding." It will correct the errors of "they that murmured." For Nephi, the Book of Mormon is an integral piece in the events that will bring the triumphal reign of the Messiah, and the return of all of his wayward children to him. |
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| by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1999 |
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