Faaliliuga o le Tusi a Mamona

Na faaliliu e Iosefa Samita se tusiga anamua “e ala i le meaalofa ma le mana o le Atua,” ia maua ai le Tusi a Mamona. O lana galuega amata i le faaliliuga, faatasi ma Ema Samita ma Matini Harisi na auauna atu o ni tusiupu autu, na leiloloa i le 1828. Toeitiiti lava o le tusiga atoa o le Tusi a Mamona na faaliliuina i le taimi o le tolu masina i le va o Aperila ma Iuni i le 1829 faatasi ma Oliva Kaotui o le tusiupu. E tele mea e mafai ona silafiaina e uiga i le oo mai o anotusi faaPeretania o le Tusi a Mamona e ala i se suesuega faaeteete o faamatalaga na faia e Iosefa Samita, ana tusiupu, ma isi na vavalalata le latou mafutaga i le faaliliuina o le Tusi a Mamona.

Ua faaliliuina e Iosefa Samita le Tusi a Mamona, o loo faalauina atu le tusiga i lana tusiupu o Oliva Kaotui.

O tusitusiga na faalauina atu e Iosefa Samita ia Oliva Kaotui ma isi ua lauiloa nei o le uluai tusitusiga, pe a ma le 28 pasene o loo sao mai pea. O lenei tusitusiga e faamaonia ai faamatalaga a Iosefa faapea na ia faalauina atu le tusiga mai se isi gagana i totonu o se taimi puupuu lava. Mo se faataitaiga, e aofia ai measese na e tau mai ai na sese le faalogo a le tusiupu nai lo le faitau sese o upu na kopi mai se isi tusitusiga. E faaopoopo atu i ai, o nisi o faaupuga o le gagana e sili atu ona Lalata i gagana a Sasae nai lo le Igilisi i le uluai tusitusiga, e tau mai ai o le gagana autu o le faaliliuga e le o le Igilisi.¹

Na tusia e Iosefa ma ana tusiupu e uiga i ni meafaigaluega se lua na faaaoga i le faaliliuga o le Tusi a Mamona. O le tasi o meafaigaluega, na taua i le Tusi a Mamona o “faamatalaupu,” ua sili atu le lauiloa i aso nei e le Au Paia o Aso e Gata Ai o le “Urima ma le Tumema.” Na maua e Iosefa ia faamatalaupu o tanumia i le mauga faatasi ma papatusi. O le isi meafaigaluega, lea na maua e Iosefa i le eleele i ni tausaga ae lei mauaina e ia papatusi, o se tamai maa faaofuofu, po o le “maa vaai.” I le avea ai o se alii talavou i le taimi o le 1820, o Iosefa, e pei o isi i ona aso, na faaaogaina se maa vaai e sue ai ni mea ua leiloloa ma oa natia. Ao faasolo ina malamalama o ia i lona valaauga faaperofeta, na ia iloaina ai e mafai ona ia faaaogaina lenei maa mo le faamoemoega e maualuga atu o le faaliliuga o tusitusiga paia.²

O tusiupu ma isi na matauina le faaliliuga na tuua ni faamaumauga ua maua mai ai se malamalamaaga i le faagasologa. O nisi faamaumauga na taua e faapea na suesue Iosefa i mataitusi i luga o papatusi. O le tele o faamaumauga o loo talanoa i le faaaogaina e Iosefa o faamatalaupu po o le maa vaai. E tusa ai ma nei faamaumauga, na tuuina e Iosefa a le o mea faaliliu po o le maa vaai i se pulou, oomi ona foliga i totonu o le pulou e taofia ai le malamalama mai fafo, ma faitau leotele upu faaPeretania o loo faaali mai i le meafaigaluega. O le faagasologa e pei ona faamatalaina e manatua ai se fuaitau mai le Tusi a Mamona e faapea e saunia e le Atua “se maa, lea o le a susulu mai i le pogisa i le malamalama.”³

O tusiupu na fesoasoani i le faaliliuga na talitonu e aunoa ma le fesiligia o Iosefa na faaliliuina e ala i le mana faalelagi. Na talitonu Ema le faletua o Iosefa i le tusiga o le Tusi a Mamona e sili atu nai lo le mafaia e lana tane ona tusitusi. Na molimau mai Oliva Kaotui i lalo o le tautoga i le 1831 e faapea “na maua faatasi ma papatusi, lea na ia faaliliuina ai lana tusi, ni maa malamalama se lua, e pei o ni tioata, i totonu o ni faavaa siliva. Ma o le vaai atu i totonu o nei maa, na ia mafai ai ona faitau i le Igilisi, ia mataitusi faaAikupito ua toe faafouina, ia na vaneina i papatusi.”⁴

Na tulai mai ai ni fesili i le faagasologa o le faaliliuga lea na taitai atu i le tele o uluai faaaliga ia ua faamaumauina i le Mataupu Faavae ma Feagaiga ma mea taua na tutupu e pei o le toefuataiga o le perisitua. Na vave lava ona muamua atu le faaliliuga ma le lolomiina o le Tusi a Mamona i le faatulagaina o le Ekalesia i le tautotogo o le 1830.

Punaoa o le Ekalesia

“Book of Mormon Translation,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org.

“The Gold Plates and the Translation of the Book of Mormon,” josephsmithpapers.org.

Royal Skousen and Robin Scott Jensen, eds., Revelations and Translations, Volume 3, Vaega 1: Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nifae 1–Alema 35, facsimile ed., vol. 3 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, eds. Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2015).

Royal Skousen and Robin Scott Jensen, eds., Revelations and Translations, Volume 3, Part 2: Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, Alema 36–Moroni 10, facsimile ed., vol. 3 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, eds. Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2015).

Talaaga o le Soifuaga

O lomiga nei o loo tuuina atu atili ai se faamatalaga e uiga i lenei autu. O le faasino po o lou fesootai atu i lenei punaoa, matou te le faamaonia pe faamautinoaina ia anomea po o manatu o le tusitala.

John W. Welch, “The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon,” in John W. Welch and Erick B. Carlson, eds., Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820–1844 (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2005), 76–213.

O Autu e Fesootai: Seer Stones, Printing and Publishing the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris’s Consultations with Scholars, Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, Book of Abraham Translation, Joseph Smith Jr., Witnesses of the Book of Mormon

Faamatalaga

1. Mo se faataitaiga, ao faaliliuina e Iosefa le tusiga o loo i le 1 Nifae 13:29, na tusia e le tusiupu“&” i se tasi nofoaga sa tatau ona tusia ai le “an.” I le 1 Nifae 17:48, na tusia e le tusiupu le “weed” i le mea sa tatau ona tusia ai le “reed[utuutu]” (Royal Skousen, “Translating the Book of Mormon: Evidence from the Original Manuscript,” i le Noel B. Reynolds, ed., Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins [Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997], 67; tagai foi Grant Hardy, “Introduction,” in The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, ed. Royal Skousen [New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2009], xv–xix).

2. E tusa ai ma le molimau a Matini Harisi, na faatonuina ai e le agelu Iosefa Samita ia taofia nei gaoioiga, na ia faia i le 1826. E lei nanaina e Iosefa lona auai i sailiga oa lea na lauiloa ai o ia. I le 1838, na ia lolomiina ai ni tali i fesili ia na fesiligia soo ai o ia. “Pe o Sio Samita ea e le o se eli tupe,” na faitauina ai le tasi fesili. “Ioe,” na tali atu ai Iosefa, “ae e le o se galuega faamanuiaina ia te ia, aua pau le tupe na ia maua o se sefulufa tala i le masina mo lena galuega” (“Elders’ Journal, vol. 1, no. 3, July 1838,” 43, josephsmithpapers.org; tagai foi Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism [Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1984], 64–76; Alan Taylor, “The Early Republic’s Supernatural Economy: Treasure Seeking in the American Northeast, 1780–1830,” American Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1 [Spring 1986], 6–34; Mark Ashurst-McGee, “A Pathway to Prophethood: Joseph Smith Junior as Rodsman, Village Seer, and Judeo-Christian Prophet” [master’s thesis, Utah State University, 2000]).

3. Alema 37:23. Na i ai ia Iosefa Samita le sili ma le tasi le maa vaai; e foliga mai na ia mauaina se tasi o maa ao eliina se vaieli i se mea o le 1822 (Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism, 69–70).

4. A. W. B., “Mormonites,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, vol. 2 (Apr. 19, 1831), 120; Joseph Smith III, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald, vol. 26, no. 19 (Oct. 1, 1879), 1–2.