The Prophet Joseph Smith was born on Mon 23 Dec 1805. That is close to the winter solstice, which usually occurs on 21 December, which has led to the suggestion that his birth symbolized the time when darkness would begin to recede and that the light would return to the earth. But that date is about two days off, according to our calendar. When we looked at the Savior’s birth and death dates, we saw that his birth was timed down to the quarter-day period before the midnight which commenced Thu 6 Apr 1 BC. Similarly, his resurrection must have been after midnight and before dawn on the morning of Sun 3 Apr AD 33. If the Savior’s birth and death were timed so precisely, we might expect that of Joseph Smith to have been also. At this point it might be well to remember that the Lord tends to use the calendars which he has revealed, rather than the one originating with Julius Caesar, which we currently employ. On the Hebrew Calendar, the four seasonal markers are the first days of the months Nisan (spring), Tammuz (summer), Tishri (autumn) and Tebeth (winter).
What was the day 23 Dec 1805 on the Hebrew Calendar? While the true Hebrew Calendar is not yet perfectly understood, all indications are that the evening of 23 Dec 1805 began the Hebrew day 1 Tebeth, the precise day of the winter solstice on that calendar. The identification of Joseph Smith as one of the four angels associated with the four seasons suggests that his birth date was carefully planned to coincide with one of the four seasonal markers on a calendar which God has endorsed. On the Hebrew calendar, the first day of every month is considered a holy day, so Joseph Smith was not only born on a holy day, but apparently was the standard bearer for the day of the winter solstice throughout all time. Source
“I love puzzles, science, math, calendars, and enjoy connecting ideas from a wide variety of disciplines. I have bachelor’s degrees in physics and math from the U. of Utah, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the U. of Arizona. I taught astronomy at a state college and keep notes for that class on this web site. I also do computer programming, have three software patents, and host a few websites.” John Pratt
This editor has read John Pratt’s material for many years. He is a very brilliant man, but reader beware. Some of his ideas are so hard to understand. I love the prophet Joseph and I use these Pratt quotes about Joseph Smith’s birthday, as an example of how special a man Joseph Smith is. Using the signs in the heavens, it is interesting to me how the Lord can speak to us truth through various signs and wonders in heaven. Be prayerful.
The date on the Star Calendar for the birth of the Prophet Joseph is 10 Sgr. That corresponds to a star in the bow of the Archer (Sagittarius). With so many constellations available representing him, the birth date seemed surprising at first.
The blessings given to his twelve sons by Jacob have many references to constellations in them. Reuben is called unstable as water (Waterbearer), Dan is a serpent which bites heels (Scorpion) and Judah is a Lion. In the later blessing by Moses, Joseph is referred to as a wild ox (the Bull, mistranslated “unicorn” in KJV), with his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh being the two horns (Deut. 33:17).
What was Jacob’s blessing to Joseph? Here is part of it:
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (Gen. 49:24)
We know a lot of detail about the life of Joseph of Egypt. Having his bow be strong does not sound like a highlight of his life. It might refer to his descendants being mighty warriors. But it is well known that many of these blessings have obscure and/or multiple meanings. Consider the possibility that another intended meaning of this blessing could be a reference to the Prophet Joseph Smith being the “bow”. If so, then the word “his” in “arms of his hands” could refer to the strength of Joseph Smith. He was known for his great strength, which allowed him to become a champion wrestler.
In any case, it seems possible that Joseph Smith could indeed be symbolized by the Bow of the Archer. If so, then Joseph was born on a day representing him. That star is called the “Bow” in my work now. The day proposed in my work for the date of the death of Isaac was also on the day of the Bow, so Joseph is in good company. Source
One of Joseph Smith’s greatest accomplishments was of course the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. We celebrate the Prophet’s role with the entire restoration when we celebrate his birthday. Next to Christ Himself there has not been a greater man on this earth.
Where the Book of Mormon Went to Press
Visitors to the Grandin Building can see how the book was first printed.
In 1830, a small publisher in Palmyra, New York, printed the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Since then, millions of copies have been printed in 78 languages. These pages showcase the building—now a visitors’ center—where the book was printed.
The press printed sheets with eight pages on each side. At top speed, an operator could run about four sheets on one side per minute. After one side of a sheet was printed, the sheet was hung on a line to dry before the other side was printed. Since the ink became slightly sticky, an inked sheet sometimes pulled type out of the press plate. An assistant periodically checked for missing letters. Because of letter dropouts and corrections, it is possible that no two copies of the book are exactly the same.
To print 5,000 copies of the first edition of the 590-page Book of Mormon, the printer printed a minimum of 185,000 sheets, not counting mistakes and extras. The typesetting, printing, and binding took from August 1829 to 26 March 1830. Even if the press ran continuously, the print run would have taken 129 days to complete. This estimate is based on twelve-hour work days, since the pressmen assigned to the job worked from sunup to sundown. Source
Book of Mormon Printing Miracle
“The Lord is in the details of our lives. The printing of the Book of Mormon was truly a miracle. The details of the life of Gordon L. Weight, who died in 2004 at the age of 72, is another case in point. He wrote the booklet, “Miracle on Palmyra’s Main Street,” the year before he died.
Gordon is probably the only person on the planet that could have written with authenticity this booklet with subtitle, “An ‘Old-Time’ Printer’s Perspective on Printing the Original Copies of the Book of Mormon.”
The Book of Mormon has been criticized and praised for nearly 200 years. Now it is well recognized by many non-LDS scholars and religious leaders (view BYU-TV “A New Day for the Book of Mormon” available on line).
We have the book physically before us. What Gordon Wright has done is to show in its first printing we have a documented miracle. It would have been impossible for it to be printed as it was without “Divine assistance” – thus showing this second witness of Christ – companion to the Bible – was brought forth with God’s help because of its great importance in preparation for the coming of our Lord.
For example, Joseph specified both the kind of type and the kind of paper for the Book of Mormon, but the printer had neither or access to same, but they were provided miraculously. The massive amount of ink for the printing of the 5,000 copies was also miraculously provided. Brother Weight, who had the expertise to say so, estimates a minimum of 22 ½ months to print and bind these 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, and Grandin Press had other printing responsibilities in addition – a newspaper and other customer jobs.
Yet the 5,000 printed copies were ready in time for the Lord to organize His Church on the 6th of April 1830. They were printed and bound in a little over 6 months – a clear documented miracle. It is like what George Washington said when we should not have won the Revolutionary War, but we did. He summarized it in two words, “Divine intervention.” This is like water into wine at Cana of Galilee. (John 2)
I was pondering these miracles in the early morning hours of the Vernal Equinox (20 March 2017, 4:28 AM MST), and had the impression that the dimensions of this first printing were in the Divine ratio or Golden Mean = 1.618… Having a replica of these, I got up and measured it. It was exact. Another fingerprint of the Lord. I have found no other book in our library with these exact dimensions and we have well over two thousand books.
Copies of Gordon’s booklet on the Book of Mormon miracle can be obtained from Dorotha Wright: 4649 S. 345 E. Murray, UT 84107, (801) 262-9290 or [email protected].”
Faithfully yours, David W. Allan website here
