Lost 116 Pages Found

[LdsMarco]

Something very weird is going on here. I have the impression that this person is an impostor. First of all, he sounds very frustrated because he tries real hard to prove what he is saying. Why stress over something YOU KNOW IS TRUE? Second, if he gave it to general authorities of the Church, they would have specifically told him to not tell/share it to anyone until it is confirmed that they are real and they will reveal it themselves. Which brings the question on why is he on social media telling everyone all this info.

[oklds]

Also--OKlds, people are making this way too hard! You don't need DNA testing to prove your ancestry, you just need to get to work on your genealogy, specifically, your four generation chart. Talk to the Family History consultants in your ward or stake and tell them you'd like to get started on your genealogy. You just need to give them names, birthdates, places for you and your parents, grandparents, whatever you know. They can help you. It's not hard and I'd expect that your ward members would be happy to help you do this.
It doesn't matter if you are related to Joseph Smith or not, what matters is that you start working on identifying your ancestors and getting their temple work done.

I have that done, back four generations. All their Temple work is done.

If you've done your four generations, you ought to know if you are a direct descendant of Joseph Smith or not.

edited to add; You've said you aren't but then you've also said you don't know and don't care? That's why I assumed you hadn't done your four generations chart yet.

4 generations goes back to my Great-Grand-Father, right? He was born in 1878; how could that possibly be definitive proof?

[oklds]

Something very weird is going on here. I have the impression that this person is an impostor. First of all, he sounds very frustrated because he tries real hard to prove what he is saying. Why stress over something YOU KNOW IS TRUE? Second, if he gave it to general authorities of the Church, they would have specifically told him to not tell/share it to anyone until it is confirmed that they are real and they will reveal it themselves. Which brings the question on why is he on social media telling everyone all this info.

Yes. I admit it. My real name is actually Dan Judd, and my email address is [email protected] and...oh....yeah....right...

[LdsMarco]

Yes. I admit it. My real name is actually Dan Judd, and my email address is [email protected] and...oh....yeah....right...

Dude, then don't even sweat it. You're trying too hard and all you're doing is stressing over something that some day it will be brought into light. All you're going to get is people talking trash over this whole situation. Another thing too.... You're a descendant of Joseph Smith. Okay,... so what? Meaning... it doesn't make you more special than the next person. God is no respector of person. My point is, the more you try to make yourself valid, the more you sound suspicious. If you're a direct descendant, then keep it sacred. The Lord's work is not to be frustrated my friend. Let God, do his thing. It'll all work out. #My2cents

[oklds]

Yes. I admit it. My real name is actually Dan Judd, and my email address is [email protected] and...oh....yeah....right...

Dude, then don't even sweat it. You're trying too hard and all you're doing is stressing over something that some day it will be brought into light. All you're going to get is people talking trash over this whole situation. Another thing too.... You're a descendant of Joseph Smith. Okay,... so what? Meaning... it doesn't make you more special than the next person. God is no respector of person. My point is, the more you try to make yourself valid, the more you sound suspicious. If you're a direct descendant, then keep it sacred. The Lord's work is not to be frustrated my friend. Let God, do his thing. It'll all work out. #My2cents

That's the whole point. I have no idea if I am or not, and I've never claimed to be. A couple of idiots tried to advertise that to sell tickets to some conference they wanted me to speak at.

[AI2.0]

Also--OKlds, people are making this way too hard! You don't need DNA testing to prove your ancestry, you just need to get to work on your genealogy, specifically, your four generation chart. Talk to the Family History consultants in your ward or stake and tell them you'd like to get started on your genealogy. You just need to give them names, birthdates, places for you and your parents, grandparents, whatever you know. They can help you. It's not hard and I'd expect that your ward members would be happy to help you do this.
It doesn't matter if you are related to Joseph Smith or not, what matters is that you start working on identifying your ancestors and getting their temple work done.

I have that done, back four generations. All their Temple work is done.

If you've done your four generations, you ought to know if you are a direct descendant of Joseph Smith or not.

edited to add; You've said you aren't but then you've also said you don't know and don't care? That's why I assumed you hadn't done your four generations chart yet.

4 generations goes back to my Great-Grand-Father, right? He was born in 1878; how could that possibly be definitive proof?

If you are descendant of Joseph Smith jr. then you would need to come through one of his three children, David Hyrum Smith, Alexander Hale Smith or Joseph Smith III (they are the only ones who had descendants). So, look at your great great grandparents and if any of them have the last name of Smith, then follow it back one more generation to see if one of these men is that person's father. If not, if there are no Smiths in that last generation, then I think it's safe to say you are not a descendant of Joseph Smith jr.

[AI2.0]

OKlds, this whole thread started with this post by Bpalmer. He is clearly talking about Bruce H. Porter, a CES employee and NOT the General Authority who died a year ago. Bruce H. is an associate of Rod Meldrum, who is an associate of the Preparingapeople group (Michael and Nancy James). The Jameses and Meldrum are individuals who promote their own businesses involving church related topics and interests.

the OP said this:

If any of you know Bruce Porter, he is the man behind the idea that the Book of Mormon history took place here in the land of the United States. My Brother is in his ward and they talk regularly. Anyway, Bruce told him this week that the lost 116 pages have been found and the church is preparing an announcement in the coming weeks. My first reaction was, I'll believe it when I see it.

Brother Porter is connected with the church history department and is given regular assignments to investigate church history related events and material. He is credible.

Has anyone heard anything of this finding and can verify if its true or false?

So, if you are still claiming that a 'general authority' met with you, it has to be someone other than Bruce D. Porter because even back in 2015, the chance it was Bruce D. Porter is nil because from 2014 to 2016 when he died, he was serving as Pres. of the European mission--he is an expert on Russian affairs and did not have a background in church history so there would be no reason for him to be sent to contact you.

Also, it seems from Bpalmer's comments (if he's referring to your papers and I assume he is) that you've been dealing with people not affiliated with the church. I hope you got the collection into the correct hands.

[AI2.0]

Something very weird is going on here. I have the impression that this person is an impostor. First of all, he sounds very frustrated because he tries real hard to prove what he is saying. Why stress over something YOU KNOW IS TRUE? Second, if he gave it to general authorities of the Church, they would have specifically told him to not tell/share it to anyone until it is confirmed that they are real and they will reveal it themselves. Which brings the question on why is he on social media telling everyone all this info.

I believe Dan Judd is sincere. I'm just not certain his confusion is his fault. I'm afraid the people he met with may have given him incorrect impressions about who they were and might have tried to take advantage of him. Somewhere I read that he was warned to copyright the papers because they are in the public domain and the people he met with wanted to take them and copy them--if he'd let them do that, they could have copyrighted them themselves. IF they are valuable, that would have been devastating for Dan.

Dan has never stated clearly that he gave them to the LDS church for evaluation, so it's hard to know for certain who has them.

What I'm skeptical of is that these papers have any value to the LDS church or our history. The chance they include the 116 pages is pretty, pretty slim, but that doesn't mean they don't have some value--if they are old papers, they might be journal writings or something like that. The problem is Dan hasn't read them and so far no one else has either, that I can tell. So, I guess we wait and see if any new developments come up.

[inho]

OKlds, this whole thread started with this post by Bpalmer. He is clearly talking about Bruce H. Porter, a CES employee and NOT the General Authority who died a year ago. Bruce H. is an associate of Rod Meldrum, who is an associate of the Preparingapeople group (Michael and Nancy James). The Jameses and Meldrum are individuals who promote their own businesses involving church related topics and interests.

the OP said this:

If any of you know Bruce Porter, he is the man behind the idea that the Book of Mormon history took place here in the land of the United States. My Brother is in his ward and they talk regularly. Anyway, Bruce told him this week that the lost 116 pages have been found and the church is preparing an announcement in the coming weeks. My first reaction was, I'll believe it when I see it.

Brother Porter is connected with the church history department and is given regular assignments to investigate church history related events and material. He is credible.

Has anyone heard anything of this finding and can verify if its true or false?

So, if you are still claiming that a 'general authority' met with you, it has to be someone other than Bruce D. Porter because even back in 2015, the chance it was Bruce D. Porter is nil because from 2014 to 2016 when he died, he was serving as Pres. of the European mission--he is an expert on Russian affairs and did not have a background in church history so there would be no reason for him to be sent to contact you.

Also, it seems from Bpalmer's comments (if he's referring to your papers and I assume he is) that you've been dealing with people not affiliated with the church. I hope you got the collection into the correct hands.

AI2.0,
It is unlikely that Bruce H. Porter has anything to do with the documents and oklds. As has been noted earlier in this thread, Bruce H. responded to the rumors with saying that he does not know anything about the 116 pages. You can read it in his webpage: https://www.bhporter.net/single-post/20 ... -116-Pages

Although,
at one point oklds did want to contact Bruce H. (see below), but if he did and if Bruce H. has something to do with this, then oklds should be well aware with whom he has been dealing with.

<stringofreallybadprofanewordsandstereotypicalinsults>! Now, I'm really confused - not that I wasn't pretty far gone before. I doubt it's the big guy, though, since I doubt the Church would have sent him out to CA to check that box, right? They'd have sent some bigshot; that's why I firgured it was the Seventies guy. I will try to contact the other one just in case, since I know one of them's been taking a lot of (totally undeserved) crap over this, and I can at least set the record straight with him. Does anyone have contact with that guy? You can give him my name and email: Dan Judd, [email protected]. There's nothing secret about me.

[kittycat51]

OKlds, this whole thread started with this post by Bpalmer. He is clearly talking about Bruce H. Porter, a CES employee and NOT the General Authority who died a year ago. Bruce H. is an associate of Rod Meldrum, who is an associate of the Preparingapeople group (Michael and Nancy James). The Jameses and Meldrum are individuals who promote their own businesses involving church related topics and interests. Kind of like anybody who has anything to sell at Deseret Book?

the OP said this:

If any of you know Bruce Porter, he is the man behind the idea that the Book of Mormon history took place here in the land of the United States. My Brother is in his ward and they talk regularly. Anyway, Bruce told him this week that the lost 116 pages have been found and the church is preparing an announcement in the coming weeks. My first reaction was, I'll believe it when I see it.

Brother Porter is connected with the church history department and is given regular assignments to investigate church history related events and material. He is credible.

Has anyone heard anything of this finding and can verify if its true or false?

So, if you are still claiming that a 'general authority' met with you, it has to be someone other than Bruce D. Porter because even back in 2015, the chance it was Bruce D. Porter is nil because from 2014 to 2016 when he died, he was serving as Pres. of the European mission--he is an expert on Russian affairs and did not have a background in church history so there would be no reason for him to be sent to contact you.

Also, it seems from Bpalmer's comments (if he's referring to your papers and I assume he is) that you've been dealing with people not affiliated with the church. I hope you got the collection into the correct hands.

In all fairness to Rod Meldrum, he may be associated with Preparingapeople organization because they pay him to come speak to their events. On the flip side, I am on the mailing list for Rod's website of Bookofmormonevidence and I have never seen anything that mentions anything associated with them.

[Grudunza]

The problem is Dan hasn't read them and so far no one else has either, that I can tell.

I recall somewhere in this thread (too lazy to look), Dan said that he did look at the first page or two of the 116 page bundle, and to his impression it seemed to be *that* 116 pages. He didn’t give any detail about why he thought that, though, and of course, as with much of this, we have to take his word on it. But he’s also been consistent to say that he’s not an expert and couldn’t be entirely sure.

I did come across someone on another forum somewhere a few months back who mentioned having been in the ward of a guy who was going through the process of getting a box of old documents to the church. He wouldn’t say who, specifically, but when I sent him the link to this thread he said yeah, that was the same story. Apparently it’s been a topic of some interest and speculation in that ward, as you might expect. So that would seem to corroborate the basic premise of Dan’s story... guy inherits documents, safety deposit box, church-related, church officials involved, etc. Whether they really are of importance, or even genuine, is another matter entirely. But I’m willing to follow the story, at least, and see what might come of it, if anything. Dan is a bit back-and-forth in giving some details, then not giving details, and so forth, but I think he’s sincere about his situation, and generally he’s been consistent about the broad strokes of it.

[AI2.0]

My responses in blue;

OKlds, this whole thread started with this post by Bpalmer. He is clearly talking about Bruce H. Porter, a CES employee and NOT the General Authority who died a year ago. Bruce H. is an associate of Rod Meldrum, who is an associate of the Preparingapeople group (Michael and Nancy James). The Jameses and Meldrum are individuals who promote their own businesses involving church related topics and interests.

the OP said this:

If any of you know Bruce Porter, he is the man behind the idea that the Book of Mormon history took place here in the land of the United States. My Brother is in his ward and they talk regularly. Anyway, Bruce told him this week that the lost 116 pages have been found and the church is preparing an announcement in the coming weeks. My first reaction was, I'll believe it when I see it.

Brother Porter is connected with the church history department and is given regular assignments to investigate church history related events and material. He is credible.

Has anyone heard anything of this finding and can verify if its true or false?

So, if you are still claiming that a 'general authority' met with you, it has to be someone other than Bruce D. Porter because even back in 2015, the chance it was Bruce D. Porter is nil because from 2014 to 2016 when he died, he was serving as Pres. of the European mission--he is an expert on Russian affairs and did not have a background in church history so there would be no reason for him to be sent to contact you.

Also, it seems from Bpalmer's comments (if he's referring to your papers and I assume he is) that you've been dealing with people not affiliated with the church. I hope you got the collection into the correct hands.

AI2.0,
It is unlikely that Bruce H. Porter has anything to do with the documents and oklds. As has been noted earlier in this thread, Bruce H. responded to the rumors with saying that he does not know anything about the 116 pages. You can read it in his webpage: https://www.bhporter.net/single-post/20 ... -116-PagesYes, it was 'rumored' on the OP of this thread by bpalmer and bpalmer describing the Bruce H. Porter, who wrote a book with Rod Meldrum. I know Bro.Porter denies the claims and I'm not sure bpalmer has ever returned or responded to the thread he/she started. Seems bpalmer may be the guilty party. If it had stopped there then we could assume it was a false rumor, but then oklds, the person who has the papers, verified the claims of bpalmer in the OP and thus supported what bPalmer said, yet he also admitted Bruce Porter was not involved, but says his name was used by the promoters? oklds said this earlier on the thread:

"Please don't blame this Bruce Porter for any of this - he had nothing to do with it. His name was dragged in by these clowns promoting this 'conference' in order to sell more tickets. I doubt he ever heard of this before last month, and I suspect he's more than willing to never hear of it again. I know I am, and I'm the guy that has the papers."

"I have those papers. I offered them to the Church a couple of years ago. Bruce Porter has never contacted me in any way, but I do wish people would stop bashing him with bogus innuendo; I doubt he even knows who I am."


Although,
at one point oklds did want to contact Bruce H. (see below), but if he did and if Bruce H. has something to do with this, then oklds should be well aware with whom he has been dealing with.It's confusing, I'm not sure who he's been dealing with, except for the Jameses--he did name them on one of his posts.

<stringofreallybadprofanewordsandstereotypicalinsults>! Now, I'm really confused - not that I wasn't pretty far gone before. I doubt it's the big guy, though, since I doubt the Church would have sent him out to CA to check that box, right? They'd have sent some bigshot; that's why I firgured it was the Seventies guy. I will try to contact the other one just in case, since I know one of them's been taking a lot of (totally undeserved) crap over this, and I can at least set the record straight with him. Does anyone have contact with that guy? You can give him my name and email: Dan Judd, [email protected]. There's nothing secret about me.

It's hard to tell what the facts are in this, except that it makes sense that certain LDS promoters would be interested in what he's claiming to have, but we should note that Bruce H. Porter denies he was involved and in two posts, oklds backed up his denials.

[AI2.0]

The problem is Dan hasn't read them and so far no one else has either, that I can tell.

I recall somewhere in this thread (too lazy to look), Dan said that he did look at the first page or two of the 116 page bundle, and to his impression it seemed to be *that* 116 pages. He didn’t give any detail about why he thought that, though, and of course, as with much of this, we have to take his word on it. But he’s also been consistent to say that he’s not an expert and couldn’t be entirely sure. Actually, he said he read the first sentence and from what he's said, he really doesn't know what should be in the 116 pages, so I don't think he's a good judge. This is what he said:

"I have several bundles of papers from the 1820's, which MIGHT be important. My ancestors seemed to think so, but I refuse to even handle them enough to verify that." and "I did see the bundle of papers when I went out to CA in June, and read the first sentence of the first page. I think they are the real thing, but I am an (unemployed) engineer, NOT and archaeologist nor a document expert."


I did come across someone on another forum somewhere a few months back who mentioned having been in the ward of a guy who was going through the process of getting a box of old documents to the church. He wouldn’t say who, specifically, but when I sent him the link to this thread he said yeah, that was the same story. Apparently it’s been a topic of some interest and speculation in that ward, as you might expect. So that would seem to corroborate the basic premise of Dan’s story... guy inherits documents, safety deposit box, church-related, church officials involved, etc.It's not clear if they are church related or not, he's said he's not read them other than the first sentence, it seems. I don't see how you can be sure of the content from one sentence. Whether they really are of importance, or even genuine, is another matter entirely. But I’m willing to follow the story, at least, and see what might come of it, if anything. Dan is a bit back-and-forth in giving some details, then not giving details, and so forth, but I think he’s sincere about his situation, and generally he’s been consistent about the broad strokes of it.

[capctr]

https://www.preparingapeople.com/copy-of-events

These folks are claiming Dan Judd, a decendant of Joseph Smith, inherited the 116 pages. See link

There's going to be a conference on the "Book of Lehi." Details at the link above. Look who's on the list of speakers. And who's not.

Preparing A People Conference - Orem, Utah
"Preparing to Receive More of the Book of Mormon
Sat 9 September 2017 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
UVU Special Event Center, Orem-UT.
​
This is an All-day Conference held at the Utah Valley Convention center featuring LDS Speakers, Music, & Video Testimonies.

Speakers include: Dan Judd, Shawn Littlebear, Chad Daybell, Hector Sosa Jr., Pamela Romney Openshaw & more.

Yeah, well Chad Daybell and Hector Sosa Jr tells us everything we need to know about that activity.

[bizmensky]

you should check your email from time to time. is that the stuff you had Harry bring out to salt lake? i guess it wasnt really overkill after all then.

[oklds]

https://www.preparingapeople.com/copy-of-events

These folks are claiming Dan Judd, a decendant of Joseph Smith, inherited the 116 pages. See link

There's going to be a conference on the "Book of Lehi." Details at the link above. Look who's on the list of speakers. And who's not.

Preparing A People Conference - Orem, Utah
"Preparing to Receive More of the Book of Mormon
Sat 9 September 2017 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
UVU Special Event Center, Orem-UT.
​
This is an All-day Conference held at the Utah Valley Convention center featuring LDS Speakers, Music, & Video Testimonies.

Speakers include: Dan Judd, Shawn Littlebear, Chad Daybell, Hector Sosa Jr., Pamela Romney Openshaw & more.

Yeah, well Chad Daybell and Hector Sosa Jr tells us everything we need to know about that activity.

That's why the link does not work. They had to take it down when I wouldn't go along with their crap story. Think about this: If I wasn't willing to sell those papers to the Church (any guesses what I could have gotten; $10M maybe), then why on earth would anyone believe I'd go along with maybe trashing Joseph Smith's Granddaughter for $20K.

For the record: I've known Shawn for several years, and I doubt he had anything to do with that part of it, although I wish he wasn't connected with these swine at all. I have never met Hector Sosa. The rest of them are a pack of liars and frauds.

[oklds]

OKlds, this whole thread started with this post by Bpalmer. He is clearly talking about Bruce H. Porter, a CES employee and NOT the General Authority who died a year ago. Bruce H. is an associate of Rod Meldrum, who is an associate of the Preparingapeople group (Michael and Nancy James). The Jameses and Meldrum are individuals who promote their own businesses involving church related topics and interests. Kind of like anybody who has anything to sell at Deseret Book?

the OP said this:

If any of you know Bruce Porter, he is the man behind the idea that the Book of Mormon history took place here in the land of the United States. My Brother is in his ward and they talk regularly. Anyway, Bruce told him this week that the lost 116 pages have been found and the church is preparing an announcement in the coming weeks. My first reaction was, I'll believe it when I see it.

Brother Porter is connected with the church history department and is given regular assignments to investigate church history related events and material. He is credible.

Has anyone heard anything of this finding and can verify if its true or false?

So, if you are still claiming that a 'general authority' met with you, it has to be someone other than Bruce D. Porter because even back in 2015, the chance it was Bruce D. Porter is nil because from 2014 to 2016 when he died, he was serving as Pres. of the European mission--he is an expert on Russian affairs and did not have a background in church history so there would be no reason for him to be sent to contact you.

I have NEVER claimed that a 'General Authority' met with me. Until 2 months ago, I didn't even know what that was. What I DID post was that I had been told that a big shot named Bruce Porter took a look at them in September (after I gave the key, the receipt, and a POA to the Church), and verified that they were authentic and unaltered, but the bank would not give him the documents; they only let him examine them. I have no idea if that was true, and no way to verify it, since he died in December. The Church history department sent me back the key and receipt and asked that I go get them myself. I went back out there in June/July of 2017 to verify that the papers were even there. Then I secured them to their rightful (in my opinion) owners, and had them transported by people I could trust.

The reason I posted on this thing at all was to back up this Bruce H.(?) Porter who had been catching a lot of undeserved crap. I've never met him either, but I don't like anyone being harassed for a falsehood which I can straighten out. Maybe that's the problem. Everyone expects me to be the same kind of trash as foil-hat crowd, and I have something they do not: Honor.* They likewise have something I do not: Money. But, I can live without that; they cannot state the corollary.

*IMO, this particular Bruce Porter possesses that same character quality, and his opinion that the Book of Mormon events took place on the North American continent is correct.

[oklds]

oklds, Just from reading this thread and seeing your experiences, I would have to say this looks like a shark feeding frenzy. Though I don't know you at all, I still feel a bit concerned that there is more than a potential to get burned, become hardened or resentful, bitter, etc. when dealing with any of this. I just don't want you to get so fed up with it all that you throw your hands up exclaiming, "well if that is the way LDS's act and treat each other, then I don't want to be a part of it" and leave. We are all weak and subject to error.

I do feel that you will likely (if not already) have serious trials because the devil wants to turn this into a circus that will try to discredit, tarnish and if possible destroy the work of God. I hope you are strong enough that you will not let hell nor high water keep you from staying the good person God knows you are.

May God give you his peace and help.

I've seen more than my share of combat (from truly dangerous people). I can handle these clowns. I don't scare easy, and I don't embarrass at all.

[oklds]

Same thing?

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865 ... ty-of.html

No. The 116 pages would be worth much more than that.

I actually did get an offer which I considered credible, in January 2014: $100,000 per sheet.

[Silver]

Same thing?

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865 ... ty-of.html

No. The 116 pages would be worth much more than that.

I actually did get an offer which I considered credible, in January 2014: $100,000 per sheet.

You're back, eh? Tell us what is your ideal outcome for the papers you hold.

[oklds]

https://www.preparingapeople.com/copy-of-events

These folks are claiming Dan Judd, a decendant of Joseph Smith, inherited the 116 pages. See link

...
I have a facebook page with all of this data freely available. No one seems to want to go there to check this out before they lump me in with these 'foil-hat-people' and tell a pack of lies about me, but here it is anyway: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MORMONBOX/
...

Hmmm, a little bit of a red flag would be this statement. It appears the facebook page with the data which is freely available is a closed group. I'm pretty sure plenty want to go there and check it out, but it's closed...

I did NOT claim to be a descendant of Joseph Smith. That's a Family story which I do not repeat, or place credence in. If the story's not true, it's trashing the Grand-Daughter of Joseph Smith. If it is true, it doesn't matter. I do have another ancestor which I can PROVE descent from, who personally saved the lives of every man, woman and child on the face of the planet.

Furthermore, that group was closed so that idiots who were not willing to even tell me who they were, could not give me a bunch of crap about this whole thing. The intro to the group is/was very plain: If I know who you are, I'll approve your access. PERIOD. When I get ready to go check out the illustrated sheets, I will post that as well. And you can still post your 'red flags', since you still won't have access, since you still won't follow directions.

[Tbone]

I haven't listened to this yet, but it looks interesting:

http://interpreterfoundation.org/the-lo ... n-bradley/

In this episode, Brian Hales interviews Don Bradley about his decades-long research into missing parts of Book of Mormon narrative. Ever since he was a youngster, Don’s wondered about the content of the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi transcript that Martin Harris lost in 1828. Most Primary children know the story of how the Lord said “no” three times, but then relented and someone subsequently stole the pages from Martin. God told Joseph not to retranslate that portion of the golden plates so the stories and teachings scribed onto those pages remain lost forever . . . or are they?

Martin Harris initially thought that his wife, Lucy, had taken the manuscript, but unlike a popular rumor, he didn’t think she burned or destroyed it. Then on her deathbed in 1836, she absolutely denied having anything to do with the manuscript theft. She was a devout Quaker— who are supposed to be absolutely honest. It appears Lucy Harris’s deathbed testimony convinced Martin that she had nothing to do with the robbery.

When asked, “Do you think the lost pages might be rediscovered? Don replied: “I sure hope so.” But then he cautioned: “I would think that after 189 years, if it were still out there, it would have surfaced.” Don speculates: “It would be the biggest find ever in Mormon history and one of the biggest finds ever in religious history if that turned up, so I definitely hold out hope that it’s out there.”

One person who believed that it would surface was the Prophet’s father, Joseph Smith Sr. He gave an interview in 1830 in which he said to the interviewer that that manuscript would someday come forth. Don isn’t sure if that was just his opinion or if he was quoting his son Joseph Jr.

Don believes that the number 116 might be far less than the actual total of pages that disappeared. Scholars have known for some time that 116 is the number of pages of the printer’s manuscript that covers the period of the small plates, which is the same span of time as the lost pages. Joseph may have simply borrowed that number rather than having actually counted the pages before releasing them to Martin.

The lost manuscript chronologically covered a full half of Mormon’s total abridgment that started 600 years from Lehi to Christ and ended in 320 AD. The remaining pages starting with Mosiah represent the second half of Mormon’s abridgment and are much greater than 116. Don asks: “Why would the first half be so short?”

Over the past decades, Don sought to discover the missing meanings and narratives of the 116 pages through research. But how does one go about discovering lost words, lost pages, and lost content? He explains there are a couple of ways. There are “internal evidences” like how the “small plates” of 1 Nephi through Omni or Words of Mormon cover the same period as the lost pages. Even though these small plates are rather light on history, they give us at least a thumbnail sketch of what was in the lost 116 pages.

Another internal evidence is comprised of echoes or flashbacks where later Book of Mormon accounts refer back to an earlier narrative that we don’t have. One example of this would be in Mosiah 11 that mentions King Noah building a tower on this hill that was north of the land Shilom, “which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land.” The current Book of Mormon does not mention any details about this “resort” or the time they “fled out of the land,” but it assumes that we already know about this story, indicating that it had been in the part of the Book of Mormon that is now lost.

Don also speaks of “external evidences” like statements or other sources outside of the available text of the Book of Mormon, like Joseph Smith’s earliest revelations. The most obvious of those is in section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants where it actually says to Joseph Smith, in essence, “You’ll remember that it was said in what you translated before, that the plates of Nephi had a more extensive account of these things referring to the large plates.”

The most significant types of external evidence are direct statements. The only one of these that has been very widely known is by Apostle Franklin D. Richards, who left an account that when he was in Nauvoo, he heard the prophet Joseph Smith explaining to someone how the Book of Mormon could be the stick of Ephraim. His explanation was that it said in the lost pages that although Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh, Ishmael was a descendant of Ephraim.

There are other sources that give more significant details. Sometimes, they supply extra information regarding accounts we already have and sometimes whole narratives are found that we don’t have. While the details can’t always be verified secondarily, they fit hand in glove with what we do know.

For instance, one source tells, “There was a great feast going on in the city of Jerusalem” the night Nephi approached the city seeking the brass plates. It would have been a Jewish festival, which could explain why Laban wore formal dress and was out drinking with “the elders of the Jews.”

Another description mentions how at one point during their travels between Jerusalem and Bountiful, Lehi constructed a tabernacle or portable temple. This sacred space isn’t mentioned in our current Book of Mormon but may have been where Lehi was able to get direction from the Liahona.

Don’s research includes explanations of how the Nephites obtained the “interpreters” that looked like large spectacles (later called Urim and Thummim). The Brother of Jared received them from God, but our current Book of Mormon doesn’t mention that Lehi or Nephi possessed them.

The Book of Omni speaks of Mosiah I, who was King Benjamin’s father, as opposed to Mosiah II, who was Benjamin’s son. At some point this Mosiah I traveled from the land of Lehi to the land of Zarahemla, constructing his own tabernacle somewhere along the way. Under the guidance of the Liahona, Mosiah I is then led to find the interpreters, which had been concealed by the last Jaredite prophet to hold them. Mosiah didn’t know what to do with them so he took them into the tabernacle. There God told him, “Put this object on your face and put your face in an animal skin.” He does and at once reports that he can see anything.

Once Mosiah I arrived in Zarahemla, a Jaredite stone record was brought to him that he interpreted by the “gift and power of God” (Omni 1:20). The interpreters are not mentioned specifically, but this is the same language Joseph Smith used to describe his translation of the Book of Mormon using the seer stones. From that point forward, the Liahona is no longer consulted, perhaps having been supplanted by the interpreters.

Don points out an interesting parallel between Mosiah I, as he used the interpreters by putting them and his face under an animal skin, to Joseph Smith when he started translating the golden plates by putting the interpreters in a hat. Don’s research shows the hat was made of beaver skin, so both seers used animal skins to occlude the light as they sought information from the interpreters.

Even without having the lost 116 manuscript pages in our possession, Don Bradley has shown that much can still be learned through internal and external sources regarding their content. Most Latter-day Saints probably share Don’s hope they might still be discovered. Considering all the work Mormon invested in creating the original engravings, he might be the one most heavily invested (on the other side of the veil) in the hope someone can benefit from those messages sooner rather than later. Until then, we’ll look to Don and researchers like him to help fill in the gaps created by the loss.

Don Bradley completed an internship with the Joseph Smith Papers Project and is graduating with a master’s degree in history at Utah State University.

He was the primary researcher for the Joseph Smith’s Polygamy series by Brian C. Hales. He has published on Joseph Smith and polygamy in the John Whitmer Historical Association series The Persistence of Polygamy and on the Kinderhook plates in Laura Harris Hales’s compilation A Reason for Faith, published by the BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book.

Don is also the author of the forthcoming book The Lost 116 Pages: Rediscovering the Book of Lehi, expected in 2019 from Greg Kofford Books. He is doing further research on the lost 116 pages and welcomes additional information readers may have on the subject. He can be reached at [email protected].

[inho]

I haven't listened to this yet, but it looks interesting:

http://interpreterfoundation.org/the-lo ... n-bradley/

Don Bradley gave a presentation in 2012 Fair Conference:
Piercing the Veil: Temple Worship in the Lost 116 Pages

[Love]

Lds living did story On 116 pages

http://www.ldsliving.com/7-Things-We-No ... on/s/87422


If you ever wondered what was on the lost 116 pg. look at this journal interview of Father Smith by Fayette Lampham? Cool
http://www.olivercowdery.com/smithhome/ ... h1870.htm

[The Airbender]

Just, checking.

These were not the pages we were looking for?