So I have a few questions. One is that I heard that 1843, Joseph Smith was given metal plates from some farmers and translated them and said it was an ancient record of a Pharaoh. When it turns out the farmers made them as a hoax. Is that what really happened? Some people claimed he created a secret government and secretly had himself crowned, “King of the Kingdom of God”, what is the story behind that? And lastly, experts claim that the Book of Abraham was common Egyptian funeral scrolls, what is the story on that?
One Response to “So I have a few questions. One is that I heard that 1843, Jo…”
Gabriel Duarte
2011-04-11 06:52:35
Hi friend. Thanks for all your excellent questions. I apologize for my delayed response.
I think the metal plates to which you refer are the Kinderhook Plates, which are generally considered to have been fraudulent. However, Joseph did not translate these plates. The evidence suggests that he was initially very excited about the plates, as were many of the early members of the church. For example, much was published about these plates in the Times and Seasons, a church publication at the time. However, a translation was never produced. Joseph seems to have eventually lost interest in the plates, perhaps because he was (understandably) unable to translate them.
Joseph was given the title "King of the Kingdom of God" by the Council of Fifty, a political organization that Mormons formed in the 19th century. Though chiefly political, this council was also called the "Kingdom of God" and the "Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof." Consequently, I suspect the title "King of the Kingdom of God" actually signified that Joseph was the political leader of the Council of Fifty. This theory seems to be in harmony with Joseph's political aspirations during the Nauvoo period. Obviously, however, such a title was ill advised! It comes across as a bit grandiose. :)
The history of the Book-of-Abraham manuscript
Finally, regarding the Book of Abraham, 19th century witnesses gave a detailed description of the papyri Joseph used for translation, and that description does not match the papyri that have been found in recent years. This suggests that most of the scrolls Joseph used have been lost to history. You can read a lot more about this topic on Jeff Lindsay's excellent site, which I highly recommend. Though we can't know for certain since the original papyri have been lost, it's also possible that the Book of Abraham was in fact received by revelation directly from God, and that the papyri were in fact mere props used to boost Joseph's confidence.
I think the metal plates to which you refer are the Kinderhook Plates, which are generally considered to have been fraudulent. However, Joseph did not translate these plates. The evidence suggests that he was initially very excited about the plates, as were many of the early members of the church. For example, much was published about these plates in the Times and Seasons, a church publication at the time. However, a translation was never produced. Joseph seems to have eventually lost interest in the plates, perhaps because he was (understandably) unable to translate them.
Joseph was given the title "King of the Kingdom of God" by the Council of Fifty, a political organization that Mormons formed in the 19th century. Though chiefly political, this council was also called the "Kingdom of God" and the "Kingdom of God and His Laws with the Keys and Power thereof." Consequently, I suspect the title "King of the Kingdom of God" actually signified that Joseph was the political leader of the Council of Fifty. This theory seems to be in harmony with Joseph's political aspirations during the Nauvoo period. Obviously, however, such a title was ill advised! It comes across as a bit grandiose. :)