"I heard that Joseph Smith used to place a special hat on his head containing a shiny stone in order to receive revelation. How did Joseph receive revelation from the Lord?"
(Authored by H. Clay Gorton)
The "shiny stone" that you refer to was either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone that Joseph was given as instruments to affect the translation of the Book of Mormon. It is well to remember that in 1829 Egyptian was a completely obscure language. The use of the hat was the most natural of occurrences. Have you ever tried to look at the numbers on a watch with a luminous dial? In order to see the luminescence the watch must be in almost complete darkness. Joseph Smith simply used a hat to exclude extraneous light so he could see what appeared on the stones into which he was looking. He didn't put it on his head. You can find this information in the following two references.
"Moreover, witnesses of the translation process consistently claim that Joseph Smith translated by placing either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone in a hat (to obscure the light in the room) and that he did not actually translate from the physical plates. In answer to a direct question about the use of other materials, Emma Smith specifically avowed that Joseph never had any manuscripts or books to assist him in the translation. All the witnesses, directly or indirectly, provide strong evidence that Joseph Smith did not use a King James Bible." (Royal Skousen, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, p. 130)
The Following is David Whitmer's own statement to a reporter of the Kansas City Journal, published June 5, 1881:
"The next day after I got there they packed up the plates and we proceeded on our journey to my father's house, where we arrived in due time, and the day after we commenced upon the translation of the remainder of the plates. I, as well as all of my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation. The translation was by Smith, and the manner as follows: He had two small stones of a chocolate color, nearly egg shape, and perfectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, which were given him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light, and before his eyes would appear what seemed to be parchment, on which would appear the characters of the plates in a line at the top, and immediately below would appear the translation, in English, which Smith would read to his scribe, who wrote it down exactly as it fell from his lips. The scribe would then read the sentence written, and if any mistake had been made, the characters would remain visible to Smith until corrected, then they faded from sight to be replaced by another line. The translation at my father's occupied about one month, that is from June 1 to July 1, 1829." (See Millennial Star, Vol. 43, p. 421; see also LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p. 263.)
Joseph Smith often employed scribes to write the revelations that he received, in some cases as they were being received. Here is an interesting account of one such occurrence recorded by Howard Coray, one of Joseph's clerks:
"One morning, I went as usual, into the office to go to work: I found Joseph sitting on one side of the table and Robert B. Thompson on the opposite side, and the understanding I got was that they were examining or hunting in the manuscript of the new translation of the Bible for something on Priesthood, which Joseph wished to present, or have read to the people the next conference: Well, they could not find what they wanted and Joseph said to Thompson 'put the manuscript to one side, and take some paper and I will tell you what to write.' Brother Thompson took some foolscap paper that was at his elbow and made himself ready for the business. I was seated probably 6 to 8 feet on Joseph's left side, so that I could look almost squarely into Joseph's left eye--I mean the side of his eye. Well, the Spirit of God descended upon him, and a measure of it upon me, insomuch that I could fully realize that God, or the Holy Ghost, was talking through him. I never, neither before or since, have felt as I did on that occasion. I felt so small and humble I could have freely kissed his feet." (Special Collections, Brigham Young University, p. 51.)
On other occasions, the revelations were written many years after having been received, such as D&C 132, which was recorded on 12 July 1843. However, this revelation was received by the prophet probably sometime in 1831.
D&C Section 76 is the record of a vision that was seen by Joseph and Sidney Rigdon at the home of Father Johnson in Hyrum, Ohio, in the presence of about a dozen persons. Philo Dibble, who was among those present, recorded the following account:
"Joseph would, at intervals, say: 'What do I see?' Then he would relate what he had seen or what he was looking at. Then Sidney replied, 'I see the same.' Presently Sidney would say, 'What do I see?' and would repeat what he had seen or was seeing, and Joseph would reply, "I see the same.' This manner of conversation was repeated at short intervals until the end of the vision, and during the whole time not a word was spoken by any other person. Not a sound or motion made by anyone but Joseph and Sidney, and it seemed to me that they never moved a joint or limb during the time I was there, which I think was over an hour, and to the end of the vision. Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which joseph remarked, smilingly, 'Sidney is not used to it as I am.' " (The Juvenile Instructor, May 15, 1892, pp. 303, 304.)
Of significance is the fact that Joseph Smith did not write Section 76. The commandment to write the vision was given in verse 28;
"And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision."
Ivan J. Barrett reports in his book titled Joseph Smith and the Restoration, p. 204, that Joseph requested Sidney Rigdon to write the vision, and that he stayed up the entire night following the vision to put it in written form.
Some revelations were received by the prophet by means of the Urim and Thummim. For example D&C 7. At other times angelic messengers appeared to him to deliver the word of God. For example D&C 13 and 110.
So the prophet was not restricted to any one means of receiving the word of the Lord. President Wilford Woodruff had this to say on the subject:
"What is revelation? It is the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to man. Joseph Smith said to Brother John Taylor in his day: 'Brother Taylor, you watch the impression of the Spirit of God; you watch the whisperings of the Spirit to you; you carry them out in your life, and it will become a principle of revelation in you, and you will know and understand this spirit and power.' This is the key, the foundation stone of all revelation. Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He could translate anything given to him of God. He could receive revelation without the Urim and Thummim. Many of the principal revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were received without the use of the Urim and Thummim. They were given to him by the inspiration of Almighty God. In my own experience I have endeavored to get acquainted with that Spirit manifested in me, and if I had not followed its whisperings to me, I should have been in my grave long ago, with many of my companions." (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 45-46.)
Authored by H. Clay Gorton.
Read The Demise of Darwinism by H. Clay Gorton
See Gorton's other writings here.
(Authored by H. Clay Gorton)
The "shiny stone" that you refer to was either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone that Joseph was given as instruments to affect the translation of the Book of Mormon. It is well to remember that in 1829 Egyptian was a completely obscure language. The use of the hat was the most natural of occurrences. Have you ever tried to look at the numbers on a watch with a luminous dial? In order to see the luminescence the watch must be in almost complete darkness. Joseph Smith simply used a hat to exclude extraneous light so he could see what appeared on the stones into which he was looking. He didn't put it on his head. You can find this information in the following two references.
"Moreover, witnesses of the translation process consistently claim that Joseph Smith translated by placing either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone in a hat (to obscure the light in the room) and that he did not actually translate from the physical plates. In answer to a direct question about the use of other materials, Emma Smith specifically avowed that Joseph never had any manuscripts or books to assist him in the translation. All the witnesses, directly or indirectly, provide strong evidence that Joseph Smith did not use a King James Bible." (Royal Skousen, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, p. 130)
The Following is David Whitmer's own statement to a reporter of the Kansas City Journal, published June 5, 1881:
"The next day after I got there they packed up the plates and we proceeded on our journey to my father's house, where we arrived in due time, and the day after we commenced upon the translation of the remainder of the plates. I, as well as all of my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation. The translation was by Smith, and the manner as follows: He had two small stones of a chocolate color, nearly egg shape, and perfectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, which were given him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light, and before his eyes would appear what seemed to be parchment, on which would appear the characters of the plates in a line at the top, and immediately below would appear the translation, in English, which Smith would read to his scribe, who wrote it down exactly as it fell from his lips. The scribe would then read the sentence written, and if any mistake had been made, the characters would remain visible to Smith until corrected, then they faded from sight to be replaced by another line. The translation at my father's occupied about one month, that is from June 1 to July 1, 1829." (See Millennial Star, Vol. 43, p. 421; see also LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p. 263.)
Joseph Smith often employed scribes to write the revelations that he received, in some cases as they were being received. Here is an interesting account of one such occurrence recorded by Howard Coray, one of Joseph's clerks:
"One morning, I went as usual, into the office to go to work: I found Joseph sitting on one side of the table and Robert B. Thompson on the opposite side, and the understanding I got was that they were examining or hunting in the manuscript of the new translation of the Bible for something on Priesthood, which Joseph wished to present, or have read to the people the next conference: Well, they could not find what they wanted and Joseph said to Thompson 'put the manuscript to one side, and take some paper and I will tell you what to write.' Brother Thompson took some foolscap paper that was at his elbow and made himself ready for the business. I was seated probably 6 to 8 feet on Joseph's left side, so that I could look almost squarely into Joseph's left eye--I mean the side of his eye. Well, the Spirit of God descended upon him, and a measure of it upon me, insomuch that I could fully realize that God, or the Holy Ghost, was talking through him. I never, neither before or since, have felt as I did on that occasion. I felt so small and humble I could have freely kissed his feet." (Special Collections, Brigham Young University, p. 51.)
On other occasions, the revelations were written many years after having been received, such as D&C 132, which was recorded on 12 July 1843. However, this revelation was received by the prophet probably sometime in 1831.
D&C Section 76 is the record of a vision that was seen by Joseph and Sidney Rigdon at the home of Father Johnson in Hyrum, Ohio, in the presence of about a dozen persons. Philo Dibble, who was among those present, recorded the following account:
"Joseph would, at intervals, say: 'What do I see?' Then he would relate what he had seen or what he was looking at. Then Sidney replied, 'I see the same.' Presently Sidney would say, 'What do I see?' and would repeat what he had seen or was seeing, and Joseph would reply, "I see the same.' This manner of conversation was repeated at short intervals until the end of the vision, and during the whole time not a word was spoken by any other person. Not a sound or motion made by anyone but Joseph and Sidney, and it seemed to me that they never moved a joint or limb during the time I was there, which I think was over an hour, and to the end of the vision. Joseph sat firmly and calmly all the time in the midst of a magnificent glory, but Sidney sat limp and pale, apparently as limber as a rag, observing which joseph remarked, smilingly, 'Sidney is not used to it as I am.' " (The Juvenile Instructor, May 15, 1892, pp. 303, 304.)
Of significance is the fact that Joseph Smith did not write Section 76. The commandment to write the vision was given in verse 28;
"And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision."
Ivan J. Barrett reports in his book titled Joseph Smith and the Restoration, p. 204, that Joseph requested Sidney Rigdon to write the vision, and that he stayed up the entire night following the vision to put it in written form.
Some revelations were received by the prophet by means of the Urim and Thummim. For example D&C 7. At other times angelic messengers appeared to him to deliver the word of God. For example D&C 13 and 110.
So the prophet was not restricted to any one means of receiving the word of the Lord. President Wilford Woodruff had this to say on the subject:
"What is revelation? It is the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to man. Joseph Smith said to Brother John Taylor in his day: 'Brother Taylor, you watch the impression of the Spirit of God; you watch the whisperings of the Spirit to you; you carry them out in your life, and it will become a principle of revelation in you, and you will know and understand this spirit and power.' This is the key, the foundation stone of all revelation. Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He could translate anything given to him of God. He could receive revelation without the Urim and Thummim. Many of the principal revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants were received without the use of the Urim and Thummim. They were given to him by the inspiration of Almighty God. In my own experience I have endeavored to get acquainted with that Spirit manifested in me, and if I had not followed its whisperings to me, I should have been in my grave long ago, with many of my companions." (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 45-46.)
Authored by H. Clay Gorton.
Read The Demise of Darwinism by H. Clay Gorton
See Gorton's other writings here.
RSS Feed
