People are sometimes surprised to discover
that the plates of the Book of Mormon
were not typically used during the translation process.
Most often they were simply covered with a
cloth and placed on a nearby table.
This may cause people to wonder why the plates
were needed at all?
First of all, it should be recognized that
the translated characters which Martin Harris showed to scholars back east
were copied directly
from the plates themselves.
Martin came away from his trip more convinced
than ever that the plates were authentic.
Another important consideration is that the
presence of the plates
helped confirm that Joseph Smith’s words were linked to a real, tangible artifact.
Although the plates were always covered, various
people reported hefting their considerable weight,
feeling their contours through the cloth, and even hearing the metallic sound of their rustling pages.
In addition to these practical considerations,
the plates meaningfully represented the presence
of the Lord and His involvement in the translation
process.
When leading the Israelites and the Jaredites
to their promised lands,
the Lord veiled himself in a fiery or cloudy pillar.
Likewise, the plates were usually present,
and yet veiled, during the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Together, these points suggest that plates
may have been essential to the translation process.
As Elder Holland expressed it, “The reality
of those plates, the substance of them if you will,
and the evidence that comes to us
from them in the form of the Book of Mormon
is at the heart, at the very center, of the
hope and testimony and conviction of this work
that is unshakably within me forever.”
And now you know why.
