New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Book of Mormon; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
12. It may be objected that this Newark Tablet with the Ten
Commandments written upon it in ancient Hebrew, can be of no value
as evidence for the Book of Mormon, since that book was engraved in
characters called "reformed Egyptian." That is to say, it was written
in Egyptian characters somewhat altered by the Nephites in the course
of time--such changes take place in all written languages. But the
Nephites also wrote, to a limited extent, at least (and it would
most probably be in such cases as making a transcript of the Ten
Commandments), in Hebrew (See Mormon ix, 32, 33). Hence the importance
of the Newark Tablet as an ancient Nephite relic.
13. Journal of Discourses, Vol. XIII., p. 131, the discourse was
delivered April 10th, 1870, Salt Lake City.
14. Journal of Discourses, Vol. XIII., p. 131.
CHAPTER XXXIII
OF THE DISCOVERY OF RELICS OTHER THAN HEBREW.
I.
_The Cincinnati Gold Plate._
Other discoveries of ancient American records, though evidently not
of Hebrew origin, should also be recorded, since they bear important
testimony to the fact that the ancient Americans did engrave records
on metallic plates. One of these records was found in the state of
Ohio, the other in Illinois. The first is the discovery of a gold plate
with raised characters engraven upon it, near Cincinnati, under the
following circumstances:
Mr. Benjamin E. Styles of Cincinnati, Ohio, while excavating the
earth for a cistern, in the year 1847, found, a few feet above
high water mark on the Ohio river, a gold plate. It was thrown
out with the loose earth while excavating about nine feet beneath
the surface. Said plate is of fine gold, three or four inches in
length, averaging about three-fourths of an inch in width, about
one-eighth of an inch in thickness, with the edges scolloped. In
the face of which was beautifully set another plate of the same
material, and fastened together by two pins, running through both.
This latter plate is full of ancient raised characters, beautifully
engraved upon its surface; the whole exhibiting fine workmanship.
The plate was examined by Dr. Wise, a very learned Rabbi of the
Jewish synagogue in Cincinnati, and editor of a Hebrew paper there,
who pronounced the characters to be mostly ancient Egyptian.
Such was the description of the circumstances under which the discovery
was made, and of the plate itself, by Elder Parley P. Pratt, to whom
Mr. Styles exhibited the plate, and related the circumstances of
its discovery. Elder Pratt communicated the facts to the "Mormon,"
published in New York, in a letter bearing date of January 1st, 1857.
[1] A cut of the relic was afterwards made and published by Drake and
Co., of St. Louis, printers, and with it the following certificate was
given:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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