Testimony of Joseph Smith; Brief Explanation of the Plates

(January 2, 2015)

                I was struck as I read with the realization that Joseph Smith never quotes Moroni – only paraphrases him.  I find that more than a little bit remarkable, but I don’t know why.  I think that if an angel came to me, I would certainly have a pretty good idea of each and every word that the angel said to me and I would quote him liberally.  But that isn’t the case here.

                This makes me wonder if the manner in which the angel Moroni communicated with Joseph was in a manner that did not allow for easy quotation.  Or, and this is probably more likely, it is indicative of just how frequently by the time his testimony was written, Joseph Smith had talked with divine messengers.  After all, meeting a U. S. Senator could be seen as a big deal, but if you have brunch with the President you are less likely to remember all of the details of your meeting with the Senator.