Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: October 01, 2022 02:38PM
J.K. Rowling recently tweeted about the golden plates that “nobody else was allowed to look at them” besides Joseph Smith.
Deseret News responded in a Sept 29/22 article, mentioning “what American literary scholar Terryl Givens called “the pure physicality of the plates.”
The phrase ‘the pure physicality of the plates’ caught my attention. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that term before.
https://www.deseret.com/2022/9/29/23378965/jk-rowling-mormons-golden-plates-joseph-smith-latter-day-saintsExcerpts:
“Harry Potter” series author J.K. Rowling tweeted Thursday about Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the “golden plates,” saying that “nobody else was allowed to look at them” besides Smith.”
“The claim that Smith didn’t allow anyone else to see the plates, from which he translated the Book of Mormon, is not a new one. Rowling later amended her statement to say that 11 people saw the plates after she went “to look it up.”
“This claim [re the plates], however, is not historically accurate.”
“According to former Joseph Smith Papers editor and Oxford published author Larry E. Morris, “seventeen people reportedly saw or handled the plates (or both).”
“Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and David Whitmer are known as the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. The three witnesses were, according to their own accounts, shown the Book of Mormon plates by an angel.”
“About this experience, Whitmer said, “Of course we were in the spirit when we had the view, for no man can behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view, but we were in the body also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time.”
“Des News concludes: To paraphrase renowned historian Richard Bushman, those around Joseph Smith — and Joseph Smith himself — acted as if he had the plates.”
“And material evidence seems to indicate that he did.”
As mentioned in the Des article above, Terryl Givens, known as an “American literary scholar” has referred to “the pure physicality of the plates.”
Times and Seasons published an interview with Givens (in January 2005). The interviewer referred to Givens’ comment about the “physicality of the plates”:
“The importance you attach to the plates’ objective physical reality is established in your book’s memorable opening paragraphs and beyond, with references to “the pure physicality of the plates” (p. 4), the “artifactual reality” of this “tangible medium” in a “realm . . . of empiricism and objectivity” (p. 12), the “tactile reality of supernaturally conveyed artifacts” (p. 22), and an extended discussion of the eight witnesses’ experiences, who “matter-of-factly . . . handled them, turned over the leaves, and examined the engravings” in an ordinary human instance of empirical observation” and “tactile experience” (p. 40).”
I note that Des News refers to Givens as “an American literary scholar”. Only after I read the two above-referenced articles did I look Givens up, to discover that he’s also a Mormon. That puts a different slant on the conclusions he states about the plates. It explains the following response he made in the Times and Seasons interview:
“I would like to see a day come when the textual approaches to the Book of Mormon so convincingly situate the Book as an ancient text that it is studied alongside other ancient texts.”
If a non-LDS scholar made such a statement it may carry some weight. Knowing after the fact that the source is a Mormon detracts from any significance the statement may otherwise have.
When the writer of the Des News article states: “And material evidence seems to indicate that he [JS] did [have the plates]” you think, yeah, of course a Mormon would say that.
A non-LDS scholar giving credence to the Book of Mormon could be somewhat significant. A member of the Mormon Church doing so is just another day at the office.
Mainly I just wanted to say that the phrase “the pure physicality of the plates” caught my eye. I don’t recall having seen that before. It’s intriguing.
And too, why is JKR tweeting about the plates I wonder. I note it was a sarcastic reply she made to someone who had tweeted a negative comment about her. Kind of interesting that she went to the BoM for her response though.
(OK, I'll quit editing now... Spacing, punctuation, sheesh).
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2022 02:52PM by Nightingale.