Joseph Smith received, the book on 21 September 1823, after the visit of the angel Moroni who showed him the place where, on the hill Cumorah in New York State, was hidden compilation of historical and religious records left by Mormon, an ancient prophet. This compilation, engraved on golden (not gold but of a golden metal)plates retraced more than a thousand years of history (600 BC. AD to 420 AD.) of a civilization who lived on the American continent. The story describes the belief of these people in the coming of a Messiah, the Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world and the visit of Jesus Christ to the people after his resurrection. The translation into English was made by Joseph Smith and is entitled The Book of Mormon and was first published in 1830.

Scientists and critics reject the supernatural aspects of the story of Joseph Smith and believed that he wrote the book himself, alone or with the help of more educated partners, probably using other materials. They reject the historicity of the Book of Mormon by pointing narrative elements considered anachronistic and the lack of scientific evidence. Though there are other scholars not affiliated with the church that fill there is plenty of historical and archeological evidence to support at least the story as a whole if you remove the miraculous elements which are on par with the miracles in the Bible.

Since its publication, The Book of Mormon has published more then 140 million copies in 107 languages.

The Book of Mormon is a volume of Holy Scripture complementary to the Bible, tracing the history of the ancient inhabitants of America and Jesus Christ’s coming to these people. The words and stories of their prophets and religious leaders have been compiled and abbreviated by the last of them, a prophet and historian named Mormon.

The Book of Mormon begins with the story of a man, Lehi, who at the request of God, left Jerusalem around 600 BC with his family to escape the destruction of the city. After crossing the desert, the small group arrived at the seaside. There, the son of Lehi built a boat that allowed the family to sail to America. Just arrived on the American continent, they separated into two groups, one following the other Nephi and one with Laman, both sons of Lehi.

The two groups quickly formed two nations, the Nephites and Lamanites, who came into the fight against each other, the conflict continued almost permanently throughout the book. The Book of Mormon describes Nephites as a particularly advanced civilization generally respectful of the commandments of God, while the Lamanites were people rather barbaric with a dark skin after a divine curse.

The climax of the Book of Mormon is the appearance of Jesus Christ himself among the people, shortly after his resurrection. Jesus then taught the precepts of the gospel, like what he did in the New Testament. His visit united the people and they lived in peace for a long period, before splitting up again and going to war once more.

After many battles, the Lamanites were able to eliminate all Nephites, except for one man, Moroni, son of Mormon. Moroni then hid the plates in the hill Cumorah.

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The Book of Mormon also speaks of another people, the Jaredites, which would have happened much earlier, at the time of the Tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues. These people have disappeared shortly before the arrival of Nephites allegedly found plates with their story.

Works Cited:

George Potter and Richard Wellington (2003). Lehi in the Wilderness: 81 New Documented Evidences That the Book of Mormon Is a True History. Cedar Fort.

Wesley Ziegler (2004). An Analysis of the Book of Mormon. Kessinger Publishing.

Brent Lee Metcalfe. New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology. Signature Books.