BOOK OF MORMON
1830

VIEW OF THE HEBREWS
1823 and 1825

     (1) Place: Sharon. Windsor County. Vermont: and Palrnyra, Ontario (now Wayne) County, New York.

     (1) Place: Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont (adjoining county on the west from Windsor County, Vermont, where Joseph Smith's family lived).

     (2) Title: Book of Mormon. by the hand of Mormon ascribing origin if American Indians to certain tribes of the Hebrews. Translated by Joseph Smith (The 1830 First Edition states "By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and proprietor,")

    (2) Title: View of the Hebrews; or The Tribes of Israel in America, written by Ethan Smith, Pastor.

     (3) Revealed Existence of the Book of Mormon to Joseph Smith September 22, 1823

    Gold plates of Book of Mormon given into custody of Joseph Smith for, translation. September 22. 1827.

     Book of Mormon published the latter part of March, 1830. "To the convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.'' (Title page.)

     (3) View of the Hebrews published (First Edition), 1823.

    Second Edition published 1925; considerably enlarged by quotations from Baron Humboldt's New Spain (Black's translation) American Edition. 1811. Copious quotations on ruined cities of America, temples, and the story of Quetzalcoatl-reminiscent of Moses "as a type of the Christ."

     (4) Origin of American Indians: It is often represented by Mormon speakers and writers, that the Book of Mormon was the first to represent the American Indians as the descendants of the Hebrews: holding that the Book of Mormon is unique in this. The claim is sometimes still ignorantly made.

    (4) Origin of American Indians: In his index to the View of the Hebrews (Second Edition) (p. l x) Ethan Smith informs us that from page 114 to page 225 (111 pages) will be devoted to promiscuous testimonies, to the main fact for which his book stands, viz., the Hebrew origin of the American Indians. He brings together a very long list of writers and published books to show that the view very generally obtained throughout New England. One hundred and eleven pages devoted to evidence alone of the fact of such Hebrew origin gives space for much proof. Referring to Adams testimonies on the subject, the View of the Hebrews lists twenty-three arguments to prove such origin. (pp. 147-8).

    (5) The Hidden Book Revealed: On finding the Book of Mormon Joseph Smith states that the Angel Moroni said that there was a book deposited written upon gold plates giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent and source whence they sprang.

    "Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario County, New York, stands a hill of considerable size, and the most elevated of any in the neighborhood. On the west side of the hill, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in a stone box. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of it was visible above the ground, but the edge all around was covered with earth.

    "Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplates, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them." (Pearl of Great Price; Joseph Smith 2:51-52.)

     (5) The Lost Book: Dr. West of Stockbridge gave the following information. An old Indian informed him that his fathers in this country had not long since had a book which they had for a long time preserved. But having lost the knowledge of reading it, they concluded it would be of no further use to them; and they buried it with an Indian chief." It was spoken of "as a matter of fact." (View of the Hebrews. Second Edition, p. 223).

     "Some readers have said: If the Indians are of the tribes of Israel, some decisive evidence of the fact will ere long be exhibited. This may be the case. . . . Would evidence like the following be deemed as verging toward what would be satisfactory? Suppose a leading character in Israel-wherever they are-should be found to have in his possession some biblical fragment of ancient Hebrew writing. This man dies, and it is buried with him in such a manner as to be long preserved. Some people afterward removing that earth, discovered this fragment, and ascertain what it is, -- an article of ancient Israel. Would such an incident. . . be esteemed of some weight? Something like this may possibly have occurred in favour of our Indians being of Israel." (p. 217.)

     Finding the Pittsfield Parchment (Hebrew): "Mr. Merrick gave the following account: That in 1815 he was leveling some ground under and near an old wood-shed standing on a place of his, situated on Indian Hill (a place in Pittsfield so called and lying, as the writer was afterward informed, at some distance from the middle of town where Mr. Merrick is now living.) He ploughed and conveyed away old chips and earth . . . After the work was done, he discovered, near where the earth had been dug the deepest, a kind of black strap, about six inches in length . . . . He found it was formed of pieces of thick raw hide . . . and in the fold it contained four folded leaves of old parchment. These leaves were of a dark yellow (suggesting gold color?) and contained some kind of writing. (They turned out to be Bible quotations.) They were written in Hebrew with a pert, in plain and intelligible writing. (pp. 219-220.) Query: Could all this have supplied structural work for the Book of Mormon?

     (6) Inspired Seers and Prophets: Ammon to King Limhi of the Jaredite records: I can assuredly tell thee, 0 King, of a man that can translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called a seer, (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 8:13.)

     "And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.

     "And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

     "But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light. and things which are not known shall he made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. (Mosah 8:15-17.)

     "And now he (Mosiah) translated them (the records of the Jaredites) by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.

     "Now these things were prepared front the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages; (Mosiah 28:13, 14.)

     "And whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times, (Mosiah 28:16.)

     (6) Inspired Prophets-Spirit Gifts: "The Indian tradition says, that their fathers were possessed of an extraordinary divine spirit, by which they foretold things future, and controlled the common course of nature: and this they transmitted to their offspring, provided they obeyed the sacred laws annexed to it. Ishtoallo, (Mr. Adair says of those Indians) is the name of all their priestly order: and their pontifical office descends by inheritance to the eldest, (p. 150.)

     (7) Urim And Thummim And Breast Plate: "I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate as stated by the messenger (i.e., Moroni), (Pearl of Great Price; Joseph Smith 2:52.)

     "With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called `Urim and Thummim,' which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God. (Wentworth Letter, History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 537.)

     (7) Urim And Thummim And Breast Plate:

     "Before the Indian Archimagus (the high priest) officiates in making the supposed holy fire for the yearly atonement for sin, the sagan (waiter of the high priest) clothes him with a white ephod. which is a waistcoat without sleeves. In resemblance of the Urim and Thummim. the American Archimagus wears a breast plate made of a white conch-shell, with two holes bored in the middle of it, through which he puts the ends of an otter skin strap, and fastens a buckhorn white button to the outside of each, as if in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim." (p. 150.)

     The dress of the high priest of the Osage Indians: "His cap was very high. . . His robe was a buffalo skin singularly decorated with various coloured feathers . . . And he wore on his breast, suspended from his neck, a dressed beaver skin stretched on sticks, on which were painted various hieroglyphic figures, in different colours.

     "The Indians speak of similar characters being among other tribes. Here, as in Mr. Adair's account, is their high priest's robe and breastplate," (p. 166.) "The official dress of their high priests, and his resemblance of the breast-plate; and other things. the View of the Hebrews urges as evidences of Hebrew origin. (p. 167.)

     Describing a buried chieftain in one of the Ohio mounds:

     "On the breast lay a piece of copper: also a curious stone five inches in length, two in breadth, with two perforations through it, containing a string of sinews of some animal. On this string were many beads of ivory, or bone. The whole appeared to have been designed to wear upon the neck, as a kind of breast-plate. (P. 195.)

    (8) Characters in Which Book of Mormon was Engraved on Gold Plates:

    "These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold. . . - They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. . . . The characters of the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. (Wentworth Letter, History of the Church. Vol. 4, p. 537.)

     The first Nephi speaking of the record he was making of events of his times says:

     "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians,

"And I know that the record which I make is true: and I make it with mine own hand: and I make it according to my knowledge." (6th Cent. B.C.. I Nephi 1:2, 3J

     This strange manner of making a record continued through the whole Nephite period: for Mormon in the 4th Century AD. says: "And now. behold, we have written this record (meaning the whole abridgment of the Book of Mormon) according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. (Book of Mormon. Mormon 9:32.)

     (8) Evidence of Mexican Indians Anciently in Contact with Egyptian Hieroglyphics (View of the Hebrews, on authority of Humboldt):

    On the northwest coast between Nootka and Cook river, the natives displayed a decided taste for hieroglyphical paintings. "A harp (says Humboldt) represented in the hieroglyphical paintings of the inhabitants of the north west coasts of America, is an object at least as remarkable. as the famous harp on the tombs of the kings of Thebes." (p. 184.)

     Humboldt is cited as giving "it as his opinion that these more improved tribes in New Mexico came from the north-west coast, and left some of their half civilized brethren there. Among the hieroglyphical paintings of the latter, it seems, the harp is found. Was not this a noted Israelitish musical instrument? How should the American Indians be led to paint the Jewish harp? The Jews in Babylon `hung their harps upon willows.' And it is as natural an event that their brethren, in the wilds of America, should place them in their silent hieroglyphical paintings. Whence could have been derived the knowledge of the accurate hieroglyphical paintings, which this most learned author (meaning Humboldt) exhibits as found among some of the Indians; unless they had learned them from people to whom the knowledge of hieroglyphics had been transmitted from Egypt, its original source? (p. 185.)

    Was this sufficient to suggest the strange manner of writing the book of Mormon in the learning of the Jews, and the language of the Egyptian, put in an altered Egyptian? (See "Mormon," cited above, left.)

    (9) Accounting for Two Classes of People in America. One Barbarous. the Other Civilized:

    The descendants of Lehi. sometime after his death were divided by the withdrawal of the younger son, I Nephi. and those he persuaded to follow him, from the elder sons of Lehi, Laman, and Lemuel and their sympathizers, and this was the beginning of the establishment of civilized and barbarous peoples in America. Nephi describes both.

     Of those who went with him he said: "And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.

     "And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance And we began to raise flocks, and herds and animals of every kind,

    "And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance,

     "And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things: for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine.

     "And If came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands. And Nephi became their king (II Nephi 5:10-18.)

    In relation to the other part of the colony from which Nephi and his following had withdrawn, called henceforth Lamanites, this is recorded of the same period.

     "And he (God) had caused the cursing to come upon them. yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like until a flint: wherefore, as they were white. and exceeding fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them,

     "And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto my people. save they shall repent of their iniquities.

     "And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. (II Nephi 5:21-24,)

    This occurred thirty years after the colony of Lehi left Jerusalem.

     The Nephites are again described two hundred years later as follows:

    "And we (Nephites) multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceeding rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood. in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass, and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war -yea, the sharp-pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war." (Jarom 1:8,)

    Of the Lamanites of this period this same writer (Jarom) says:

     "And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceeding more numerous than were they of the Nephites: and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts.

     "And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle, But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; . . . wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place' of our inheritance." (Jarom l:6-7.)

     Three hundred years later, the following is the description of this savage division of "a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people: a people Will) delighted in murdering the Nephites's (the civilized branch of America's population), and robbing and plundering them: and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones: yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering. that they might not labor for them with their own hands.

     " Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers:..." (Alma 17:14-15.)

     This parallel between these two peoples continued until finally, about 400 A.D., the Lamanites entirely destroyed the Nephites at Cumorah, where dreadful battles were fought, where no quarter was asked or given between the parties.

     Description of the final battles are given where armies perished in groups of tens of thousands (Mormon, Chapter 6). Mormon was the leader (if the Nephite division, The complete destruction of the Nephites is witnessed by Moroni, son of the above Mormon.

    A few Nephites had escaped from Cumorah and of these Moroni said:

     "And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed." (Mormon 8:2.) He alone was left of his people.

    It will be remembered that the same thing happened in the destruction of the Jaredite nation which preceded the Nephite and Lamanite occupation of the land; annihilation to the very last man.

    (9) Accounting for an Overthrown Civilization in America as Witnessed by the Ruined Monuments of It; and the Existence of Barbarous Peoples Occupying America at the Advent of the Europeans:

    Two classes, barbarous and civilized were found.

    Ethan Smith found opposition to his views growing out of the supposition that if the American Indians were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, then they would have been a civilized rather than a barbarous people when discovered. Of this he says:

     "Some have felt a difficulty arising against the Indians being the ten tribes, from their ignorance of the mechanic arts, of writing, and of navigation. Ancient Israel knew something of these; and some imagine that these arts being once known, could never be lost. But no objection is hence furnished against our scheme, The knowledge of mechanic arts possessed in early times has been lost by many nations . , . And Israel in an outcast state, might as well have lost it. It seems a fact that Israel have lost it, let them be who or where they may. Otherwise, they must have been known in the civilized world.

     "But that the people who first migrated to this western world did possess some knowledge of the mechanic arts (as much doubtless, as was possessed by Israel when they disappeared in the east) appears from incontestable facts, which are furnished in Baron Humboldt, and in American Archaeology, such as the finding of brick, earthen ware, sculptures, some implements of iron, as well as other metals, and other tokens of considerable improvement which furnish an argument in favour of the Indians having descendent from the ten tribes.

    The probability then is this that the ten tribes arriving in this continent with some knowledge of the arts of civilized life; finding themselves in a vast wilderness filled with the best of game, inviting them to the chase: most of them fell into a wandering idle hunt-life. Different clans parted from each other, lost each other, and formed separate tribes. Most of them formed a habit of this idle mode of living and were pleased with it. More sensible parts of this people associated together, to improve their knowledge of the arts; and probably continued thus for ages. From these the noted relics of civilization discovered in the west and south were furnished. But the savage tribes prevailed; and in process of time their savage jealousies and rage annihilated their more civilized brethren, And thus, as a wholly vindictive Providence would have it, and according to ancient denunciations. all were left in an `outcast savage state. This account for their loss of the knowledge of letters, of the art of navigation, and of the use of iron. And such a loss can no more operate against their being of the ten tribes, than against their being of any other origin. . . .

     It is highly probable that the more civilized part of the tribes of Israel, after they settled in America, became wholly separated from the hunting and savage tribes of their brethren: that the latter lost the knowledge of their having descended from the same family with themselves; that the more civilized part continued for many centuries; that tremendous wars were frequent between them and their savage brethren, till the former became extinct.

     "This hypothesis accounts for the ancient works, forts, mounds, and vast enclosures, as well as tokens of a good degree of civil government, which are manifestly very ancient, and from centuries before Columbus discovered America.

    "These partially civilized people became extinct. What account can be given of this, but that the savages extirpated them, after long and dismal wars? And nothing appears more probable than that they were the better part of the Israelites who came to this continent, who for a long time retained their knowledge of the mechanic and civil arts; while the greater part of their brethren became savage and wild. . . ."

    Then he adds this in conclusion of the theme:

    "But however vindictive the savages must have been;-however cruel and horrid in extirpating their more civilized brethren; yet it is a fact that there are many excellent traits in their original character." (pp. 171-174.)

     Query: Let it be remembered that the work from which this is quoted existed from five to seven years before the publication of the Book of Mormon. and the two editions of the work flooded the New England states and New York.