In the new Scripture Central (SC) video, Episode 5 of A Marvelous Work, “The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon”, is about who saw the actual gold plates. I found the production to be well done as usual, but I found several interesting omissions, some in my opinion incorrect historical statements, or ignored things, as I know many people may have noticed as well Please watch and then review my comments below..

In this video, the plates which the 8 witnesses saw, included the sealed portion, so they are the original plates found in the stone box. In the video it appears they are still claiming they were the original set of plates that the 8 witnesses saw, and not the additional set of the small plates of Nephi, that the messenger (Picture above is Nephi, one of the Three Nephites not Moroni as SC says) showed to Mary Whitmer which was the same messenger Joseph Smith returned the plates to in Harmony when he was finished translating this original set of plates.

Remember we believe the original plates were seen by the 3 witnesses through angel Moroni. (They saw plates but didn’t feel them). We believe the 8 witnesses saw a different set of plates (Small Plates of Nephi which came from the cave at Cumorah). These were shown by Joseph Smith to the 8 witnesses and they hefted them and turned the pages by literally touching them, as Joseph showed them to each.

D&C 10:41 “Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi [which were not the original plates in the stone box], down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated [The original plates in the stone box], which you have retained…”
D&C 10:45 “Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi [Second set of plates to replace the 116 lost pages] which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.”

After the 116 pages incident – translated from the Large Plates of Nephi, Moroni (co-author and son of author Mormon), who mentored Joseph throughout the entire translation period, provided Joseph with the Small Plates of Nephi (From the Cave at Cumorah not the Stone Box), which content covered the same time period as the stolen 116 translated pages.

Despite this new beginning, these plates too were translated by Joseph Smith using the breastplate and  spectacles as before, the use of which likely is the meaning of the expression, “translated by the gift and power of God.”

These small plates of Nephi would be the same ones that I believe what Lucy Mack’s journal said, as she saw the actual gold plates at some time unlike the video shows.

The video (Unlike Picture) also showed Josiah Stoal seeing the plates in an unusual manner I have never read in history. I always believed only Josiah Stoal saw an exposed corner of the plates and they were slightly a green color possibly from aged copper, and Josiah saw them as Joseph handed the plates to Josiah through a window, not on a table with others to see as the video shows.

I don’t believe Josiah was at a table inside the house, when Joseph gave him the plates. They also show Lucy and daughters seeing the wrapped plates with the corner exposed on the inside table of the house, and they show Lucy hurriedly covering the exposed corner. That is incorrect and that would mean Lucy and daughters all may have seen that exposed corner, but that is nowhere in history.

The video also speaks about many other possible witnesses seeing the plates and they show Joseph’s sister, Katherine, rustling her fingers on the edges of the plates while under the covering as she was cleaning the house. That seems to be incorrect as Emma said in history that she felt and rustled the edges of the plates under the cloth, not Katherine.

See quote below from “LAST TESTIMONY OF SISTER EMMA. (“Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saint’s Herald, Vol. 26, No 19. p. 289. (1 October 1879)”

“Question to Emma. Are you sure that he [Joseph Smith] had the plates at the time you were writing for him?

Answer. The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.”

In the video, narrator Scott Christopher says, “What did we hear from Lucy Mack, what was her deal?” Petersen says, “Well Lucy Mack Smith had experiences, for example, with the Urim and Thummim and uh, or with the breastplate, uh she talks about seeing it through the cloth a little bit, and, and feeling it underneath and saying it felt like the breastplate that would have belonged to an unusually large man. And people are feeling the plates, feeling the rings, uh, feeling the rings on the one side, and that sort of thing, and maybe stealing a peak, I don’t know, I have always wanted to ask, ya know, come on, did you ever take a look?” This is Mr. Petersen saying others likely would have taken a peak I guess.

Many places during the video, there is shown an off colored whitish top hat by the plates, or other places in other scenes, suggesting Scripture Central wants us to know the white top hat would have been used to put a stone in it to translate. Why do historians believe it was a whitish hat and had to be a top hat? To me it makes more sense that Joseph would have used his farmer’s hat that was his normal day to day hat, not a top hat. Anyway, I don’t believe Joseph used a stone in a hat to translate at all. Below is art showing how I believe the farmers hat may have been utilized. (See my PDF below).

The video also shows Joseph Smith as having grey streaks in his hair, but Joseph was only about 24 years old when David Whitmer visited Joseph in Harmony in May of 1829. Interesting?

The video also shows seemingly the same messenger that came to Mary Whitmer (Nephi as Mary calls him) that she describes, as also the same messenger (Nephi) appeared to her son David earlier at the wagon, who describes the messenger similar to Mary. Scripture Central has referred to this messenger as, Moroni, yet in my opinion he looks nothing like Moroni as we have depicted before. That is because in church History Mary Whitmer calls the messenger, ” Brother Nephi”.

Mary Whitmer’s description of brother Nephi seems to show the same description that David Whitmer gives in history. Joseph’s journey from Harmony to Fayette in the Whitmer wagon, is described in detail in Church History, as Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer are riding in a wagon to Harmony, as they had no more records to translate, because this same messenger (Nephi) appeared to Joseph Smith and took the original plates found in the stone box back to Cumorah which makes sense.

One of the Three Nephite’s named Nephi had taken these original plates back from Joseph after he was finished translating that set of records, and this same messenger appears to those in the wagon, as Joseph turns white in seeing “Nephi” at the side of the wagon, as David offers him a ride, and the messenger says, “No I am going to Cumorah”.

David later describes this messenger in Church History and described him similarly like Mary describes him, as the Scripture Central video depicts correctly. But Scripture Central in their writings calls the messenger, Moroni, and I believe the messenger is likely one of the three Nephites named Nephi, as Mary had called him in history. I believe Joseph Smith calls this messenger one of the three Nephites somewhere in history as well.

On the video a vision and the plates are revealed to Joseph, David, and Oliver, (Martin withdrew himself from the prayer circle and would see the plates later from Moroni). These three Joseph, David, and Oliver only saw the plates at this time.

The video shows Joseph wearing a farmers hat, but he is wearing it with Sunday best clothing, which seems out of place to me. Wouldn’t Joseph likely wear his whitish colored top hat with Sunday type clothing?

Church history shows that D&C 17 was given to Joseph in June, 1829 and the explanation of D&C 17 says “before the 3 witnesses beheld the gold plates”, which they saw on June 28, 1829, according to history.

The video has the historians say that Moroni put the plates and other items on a table with other objects and they all saw these plates with the other artifacts. It does not say in D&C 17:1 (June 1829), that the witnesses would see all the items, or if they may see just the plates, it says by faith they may obtain a witness. I don’t think it is clear at all that Whitmer, Cowdery or Harris saw the four items, just that they all may see the plates, by faith and maybe the other items. Whitmer and Harris may have seen the Sword of Laban and Liahona at a separate time but they never saw those items in the stone box at Cumorah.

I say this because in the Section 17 heading it says, “Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, at Fayette, New York, June 1829, prior to their viewing the engraved plates that contained the Book of Mormon record.”

D&C 17:1 says, “Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea”.

Lucy Mack Smith describes her holding and describing the breastplate and glasses saying, “I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings Lucy. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.”

I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record….

The video does not show Luck Mack holding the breastplate under a cloth in her own possession, and describing it in detail with Joseph, nor does it mention that Lucy Mack also held the spectacles in her hands with Joseph present, covered by a thin handkerchief, and describing those in detail, as I didn’t like those things being left out. See the art below by Anne Marie Oborn and hear Lucy’s quotes about the authenticity of the painting.

Lucy Mack Smith About the Breastplate and Glasses

Lucy Mack says, “After bringing home the plates, Joseph now commenced work with his father on the farm in order to be as near as possible the treasure that was committed to his care.

Soon after this, he came in from work one afternoon, and after remaining a short time, he put on his greatcoat and left the house. I was engaged at the time in an upper room in preparing some oilcloths for painting. When he returned, he requested me to come downstairs. I told him that I could not leave my work just then, yet upon his urgent request, I finally concluded to go down and see what he wanted, upon which he handed me the breastplate spoken of in his history. It was wrapped in a thin muslin handkerchief, so thin that I could see the glistening metal and ascertain its proportions without any difficulty.

It was concave on one side and convex on the other and extended from the neck downwards as far as the center of the stomach of a man of extraordinary size. It had four straps of the same material for the purpose of fastening it to the breast, two of which ran back to go over the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips. They were just the width of two of my fingers (for I measured them), and they had holes in the end of them to be convenient in fastening. The whole plate was worth at least five hundred dollars. After I had examined it, Joseph placed it in the chest with the Urim and Thummim.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced)

“I have myself seen and handled the golden plates; they are about eight inches long, and six wide; some of them are sealed together and are not to be opened, and some of them are loose. They are all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate, and are covered with letters beautifully engraved. I have seen and felt also the Urim and Thummim. They resemble two large bright diamonds set in a bow like a pair of spectacles. My son puts these over his eyes when he reads unknown languages, and they enable him to interpret them in English. I have likewise carried in my hands the sacred breastplate. It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.” Lucy Mack Smith (in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 2nd ed. revised and enlarged, (London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 26)

For more information about this painting view the PDF and read below.