This sacred text of the Later Day Saint movement was first published by Joseph Smith in 1830. "The Book of Mormon" was purportedly the result of divine revelation. According to the legend, Joseph Smith was visited by the Angel Moroni, who revealed to him the location of a secret collection of ancient writings, engraved on golden plates by ancient prophets. These plates told of a time six hundred years before the birth of Christ when God brought a group of his people to the Western hemisphere. This work, as viewed by the Mormon religion, is the transcription of those plates, and would become the foundational text for the Later Day Saint movement. While many regard this text as simply the fabrication of Joseph Smith and not a product of divine revelation, "The Book of Mormon" would ultimately help to create a denomination of Christianity with millions of members.
This sacred text of the Later Day Saint movement was first published by Joseph Smith in 1830. "The Book of Mormon" was purportedly the result of divine revelation. According to the legend, Joseph Smith was visited by the Angel Moroni, who revealed to him the location of a secret collection of ancient writings, engraved on golden plates by ancient prophets. These plates told of a time six hundred years before the birth of Christ when God brought a group of his people to the Western hemisphere. This work, as viewed by the Mormon religion, is the transcription of those plates, and would become the foundational text for the Later Day Saint movement. While many regard this text as simply the fabrication of Joseph Smith and not a product of divine revelation, "The Book of Mormon" would ultimately help to create a denomination of Christianity with millions of members.