Joseph F. Smith, Letterbooks, 1905-1908

File — Box: 6, Folder: 10

Identifier: I

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Ferdinand F. Hintze, letter to JFS, 26 May 1907: "You intimated today at meeting that you would like my ideas relative to the Prophet Joseph Smith's translating the Book of Mormon from the Nephitish plates.... I do not agree with the [B. H.] Roberts theory in the [YMMIA] manual, nor the Ricks theory in the Juvenile [Instructor], nor in the old theory that the Prophet received the translation in English through the Urim and Thummim. From reading such as I have chanced to find recorded by the Prophet--which is very little--and my experience in translating from a known tongue to an, to me, more or less unknown tongue, viz., Turkish, I believe that the Prophet read the Nephite language by the power of God as manifested through the Urim and Thummim or seer stone sufficiently to understand the full sense of it, and then proceeded to put that conception into English according to his best ability."

Dates

1905-1908

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.