Appendix 2, Document 2a. Characters Copied by Oliver Cowdery, circa 1835–1836
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Source Note
Characters, [, OH?, between ca. 1835 and 1836]; two English phrases with ostensible Hebrew translations in handwriting of ; characters presumably also in Cowdery’s handwriting; one page, CHL. Docket in unknown handwriting on verso: “questions | Answered in | Hebrew”.Single leaf, measuring at its widest edges 4⅛ × 7⅜ inches (10 × 19 cm). The paper was folded multiple times, and the edges of the paper indicate that the document was cut and torn from a larger sheet. The entries on the page are separated by horizontal lines. The document was in the custody of the Church Historian’s Office by 1950. How it originally came into the church’s possession is unknown.
Footnotes
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Church Historian’s Office employee A. William Lund noted in 1950 that a portion of a document once owned by Frederick G. Williams “could be copied from writings of Oliver Cowdery which we have.” (A. William Lund, Salt Lake City, UT, to Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City, UT, 10 Jan. 1950, Revelations Collection, CHL.)
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
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Historical Introduction
This document has two seemingly unrelated parts. The first part consists of two phrases from the Book of Mormon, each labeled “English” and accompanied by an indecipherable phrase labeled “Hebrew.” The second part of the document consists of two sets of two characters, each accompanied by a short phrase in English. While did not specify that the characters were derived from the , , who made a copy of the same characters, identified them as “characters on the book of Mormon.” The phrases labeled “Hebrew” are inscribed in the Roman alphabet, but the transliteration is not recognizable as Hebrew.The dating of this document is uncertain, although it was likely created in 1835 or soon thereafter. had been promised in 1829 that he would assist JS in , so the document may have originated from that earlier period, but several events that could have prompted the writing of this document occurred during 1835. About the end of June, , an antiquities dealer, came to with several Egyptian papyri and four mummies, all of which were soon purchased for the church. During Chandler’s visit, JS showed him a document containing characters from the plates, which the Book of Mormon stated were written in “reformed Egyptian.” Using the Egyptian papyri, JS, Cowdery, , and possibly others soon began compiling an Egyptian alphabet. In November, Cowdery went to and purchased textbooks for the study of Hebrew, and JS’s opened in January 1836.The document including the characters was apparently inscribed by 27 March 1836, when the was dedicated. Based on the apparent connection between ’s copy and the events that occurred in 1835, it is likely that Cowdery’s document predated Williams’s. The majority of the content of the Cowdery document is identical to material in the Williams document, suggesting that one was copied from the other or that both were copied from the same source text. Cowdery gave no indication of the source for the characters he inscribed, and it is unknown how this document may relate to other documents containing characters from the gold plates.
Footnotes
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1
Frederick G. Williams, Characters, Revelations Collection, CHL. Williams’s copy included the first and second part of Cowdery’s document but split them in two, as if he copied each part from a different document. The Williams and Cowdery documents are the only known extant documents that present themselves as including characters from the gold plates along with their translation. (See JS History, vol. A-1, 9; and “Death of John Whitmer,” Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 14 Aug. 1878, 434.)
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
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2
See Revelation, Apr. 1829–D [D&C 9:2].
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3
William W. Phelps, Kirtland, OH, to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 20 July 1835, in Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 20 July 1835; Oliver Cowdery, “Egyptian Mummies,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1835, 2:233–237; Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 538 [Mormon 9:32].
Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.
Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate. Kirtland, OH. Oct. 1834–Sept. 1837.
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4
See “Egyptian Alphabet,” ca. July–Oct. 1835; JS, Journal, 1 Oct. and 17, 19, 24, and 26 Nov. 1835; see alsoGee, “Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence,” 196.
Gee, John. “Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence of the Joseph Smith Papyri.” In The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, edited by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges, 175–217. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.
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5
JS, Journal, 20 Nov. 1835; 4 and 26 Jan. 1836.
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6
On the back of the Williams manuscript is a notation, likely written by Williams’s son, stating that the document was inscribed during the dedicatory service. (Frederick G. Williams, Characters, Revelations Collection, CHL; see also A. William Lund, Salt Lake City, UT, to Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City, UT, 10 Jan. 1950, Revelations Collection, CHL.)
Revelations Collection, 1831–ca. 1844, 1847, 1861, ca. 1876. CHL. MS 4583.
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| English | {for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree & the fruit thereof |
| Hebrew | {fin Zemim ezmon E. Zer Oms. ifs veris exzer ens. vonis vinesis |
| English | brethren I bid you adieu |
| Hebrew | {ifs E. Zamtri |
| (“The Book of Mormon) | (the interpreters of languages) |
| ([2 characters]) | ([2 characters]) |
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