Joseph Smith's Seer Stones by Michael Hubbard Mackay

Author:Michael Hubbard Mackay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Deseret Book Company
Published: 2016-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

Additionally, the Book of Mormon narrative makes great use of biblical artifacts, turning objects mentioned in passing in the Bible, like the Urim and Thummim, into key components of its narrative. In terms of the Urim and Thummim, the Book of Mormon complements the biblical mentions by presenting two stones given to the brother of Jared and Mosiah II. The text further explains that Mosiah II was able to translate because he was a seer, and “he [had] wherewith that he [could] look, and translate all records that are of ancient date” (Mosiah 8:13; emphasis added). Here, the text suggests that the interpreters worked for only those who were commanded to look in them, and that the seer that used them did not look through them, but at them to find the translation of the ancient records. Thus, like the biblical Urim and Thummim, the instruments discussed in the book of Mosiah can only be used by certain authorized individuals.

is the liahona a seer stone?

The Nephite interpreters were not the only device described in the Book of Mormon from which prophets received words miraculously. In fact, the small plates of Nephi described “a ball of curious workmanship,” called the Liahona, that was also prepared by the Lord and delivered to his prophet, Lehi (1 Nephi 16:10). The Liahona had two spindles, one that would point toward food in the desert and another that would point toward the way out of the wilderness. Additionally, like the Nephite interpreters, the Liahona provided the prophet with revelation from the Lord through words that would appear and disappear upon the device. The Lord commanded Lehi to “look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.” After Lehi had seen the prophetic words that were on the ball, “there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord.” The text continued by stating that “it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it” (1 Nephi 16:26–29).

The words that appeared on the Liahona were described in similar terms as the ones Joseph Knight Sr. gave for Smith’s translation. Knight claimed that Smith would see “bright Roman letters” appear on the seer stones, which represented the translation of the Book of Mormon.12 These similarities raise the question of how the Liahona relates to the seer stones. It is certainly possible that the Book of Mormon is describing two completely different types of objects that both managed to relay specific words. But perhaps the close similarities are meant to indicate a closer link, such as the possibility that the Liahona was actually a seer stone that had been placed within a golden metallic ball, similar to how stones were “fastened into the two rims of a bow” (Mosiah 28:13).

Regardless of its exact nature, it is hard to imagine that readers are not meant to notice the resemblances between the Liahona and the instruments of translation.

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