![]() ![]() ![]() As the Lord explained to Joseph Smith, “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. Centuries before Martin Harris lost the 116 pages, God inspired the prophet Nephi to make a record which would ideally serve as a replacement introduction to the Book of Mormon. The story of the lost manuscript also demonstrates that God can compensate for the human weaknesses of his servants. This information, while not essential, can help us answer questions about Book of Mormon passages that may otherwise seem confusing or irrelevant. Yet a careful analysis of the available evidence offers intriguing, and in some cases, very likely possibilities about what they contained. Until the lost 116 pages are found or the Lord reveals their contents, we will never be sure exactly what was on them. These details are all fascinating because in one way or another Bradley has shown how they help explain perplexing content or fill in missing information about known Book of Mormon stories. These include (1) a story about Lehi building a tabernacle in the wilderness, (2) a wilderness journey, guided by the Liahona, that seems to have taken place in the New World, (3) the discovery of an artifact that can be reasonably identified as the Nephite interpreters, (4) an encounter with the Lord at a veil, (5) and a report of when the Liahona stopped working. Yet, through careful analysis, Don Bradley has persuasively argued that Lapham’s report does indeed contain several authentic details about the Book of Lehi. Much of the content in Lapham’s report is clearly garbled. Lapham never became a Latter-day Saint, 13 but he did record a discussion he had with Joseph Smith, Sr. Perhaps the most intriguing line of evidence comes from 19th century historical documents, especially from an interview recorded by Fayette Lapham. 8 As explained by Don Bradley, the story in the small plates “recapitulates in broad strokes the story of the first four and a half centuries of Nephite narrative that had been given in detail in the Book of Lehi.” 9 Clues from Mormon’s Abridgment Kent Brown, for instance, has suggested that Nephi’s account of his father’s opening vision ( 1 Nephi 1:4–15) was likely taken directly from the introduction of Lehi’s record. 6 This means that we surely have at least some portions of the Book of Lehi preserved in Nephi’s writings. On several occasions, Nephi stated that he was giving a shortened account of his father’s writings. The small plates help directly compensate for the lost 116 pages, and they provide the Book of Mormon with a much-needed, spiritually focused introduction. Today, the purpose for the Lord’s commandment to Nephi has become clear. Image via lds.orgĬoncerning the small plates ( 1 Nephi through Omni) Nephi explained, “Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not” ( 1 Nephi 9:5). ![]() A painting depicting gold plates by Jerry Thompson. ![]()
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