ʻŪ Lauʻi Peleti Koulá

ʻI he mafola ko ia e talanoa kuo maʻu ʻe Siosefa Sāmita e totonu maʻu mafai pulusi ki he Tohi ʻa Molomoná, naʻe hoko ai ha longoaʻa ʻi he nusipepa honau feituʻú. Naʻe kamata pulusi ʻe he ngaahi kautaha nusipepá ha fakamatala fekauʻaki mo hono tuku mai ʻo e tohí mo hono liliú, mo e fakamatala fakamahamahalo kuo ʻave takai holo “ki ha taimi kuo fakalaka mei ai,” ʻo fakatatau ki he nusipepa ʻi Palemaila ko e Wayne Sentinel. Ko e koloa fakakuonga muʻa ko ia ne maʻu ʻe Siosefá, naʻe lipooti ia ʻe he nusipepa Sentinel, “ʻoku ʻiloa pea ui fakalūkufua ia ko e ‘Tohi Tapu Koulá.’” Neongo naʻe pehē ʻe he ʻētitá kuo anga e feituʻú ia ki he kupuʻi lea ko iá, ka naʻe hanga ʻe heʻene lea fekauʻaki mo e fōtunga lanu koula ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí ʻo fakahaaʻi mai ko e fuofua fakamatala ia ʻoku ʻasi he lekōtí.¹

Ko ha tatau ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peleti ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná.

ʻI he lahi ko ia e talanoa naʻe ʻave holo fekauʻaki mo e ʻū lauʻi peletí, naʻe feinga leva ʻa Siosefa ke fakatonutonu e talanoá, ʻaki ʻene paaki ha fakamatala fakaʻofisiale ʻi he ʻuluaki tatau ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná ne pākí. Naʻe fakamatalaʻi ʻi he talamuʻaki ʻa Siosefá mo e fakamoʻoni naʻe hiki ʻe ha kau fakamoʻoni ʻe toko valú, ko e ʻū lauʻi peletí naʻe “fōtunga koula.”² Naʻe pehē ʻe he kakai ne ʻi ai ʻenau ʻū tohi he Tohi ʻa Molomoná, naʻa nau tohitongi ʻenau ʻū tohí ʻi ha “ngaahi peleti.”³ Naʻe hanga ʻe Siosefa Sāmita mo e kau fakamoʻoní, ʻi heʻenau fakamatala pē ʻanautolú, ʻo fakamamataʻi e moʻoni ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí pea mo e ngaahi tongitongi ngalikehe naʻe ʻasi aí,⁴ ka ko e ʻū lauʻi peleti koulá naʻe lahi taha ʻene toʻoa e fakakaukaú.⁵ Naʻe maʻu ʻe Siosefa ʻa e ʻū lauʻi peletí ʻi Sepitema  1827 ʻi he fakahinohino ʻa e ʻāngelo ko Molonaí, pea naʻá ne toe fekau kia Siosefa ke ne liliu e lekooti fakakuonga muʻá ni.⁶ Naʻá ne ngāue ki hono liliú ʻi he vahaʻa ʻo e konga kimuʻa ʻo e 1828 mo Sune 1829, pea hili iá naʻá ne fakafoki leva e ʻū lauʻi peletí ki he ʻāngeló.⁷

Naʻe fai ʻe he kau fakamoʻoní kimui ange ha ngaahi fakamatala naʻe fakaikiiki ai e faʻunga, mamafa, lahi, matolu mo founga hono fakamaʻu fakataha ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí. Meimei ko e mamafa ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí naʻe ʻi he pauni ʻe “fāngofulu ki he onongofulu”,⁸ pea naʻe ʻinisi ʻe fā ki he ono hono matolú ʻi hono fakatahaʻí.⁹ Naʻe fakafuofua ko e fālahi ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí ko e ʻinisi nai ʻe “ono” pe “fitu pea ko hono lōloá ko e ʻinisi ʻe valu”¹⁰ pea ko hono matolú naʻe tatau mo e matolu ʻo e “laʻikapᔹ¹ pea fakatatau mo e lau ʻa ʻEma Sāmitá, “ʻe ngahaha hangē ha ukameá he taimi ʻoku ueʻi ai hono tapá ʻaki hoto motuʻa tuhú, ʻo tatau mo e taimi ʻokú te huke ai e peesi ʻo ha tohi ʻaki hoto motuʻa tuhú.”¹² Naʻe hanga ʻe he ngaahi foʻi mama fuopotopotó ʻo fakamaʻu fakataha e ʻū lauʻi peletí “ʻi he tapa kimu픹³ ke hoko ko ha voliume. Fakatatau mo e lau ʻa ha tokotaha naʻe mamata ai, naʻe ʻi ai ha meʻa naʻá ne silaʻi fakamaʻu “ha vaheua ʻe taha ʻo e tohí” ke ʻoua naʻa veteki. Naʻe ʻai ʻe he konga ko ʻeni naʻe silaʻí ke faingataʻa hono fakamāvahevaheʻi ʻo e ʻū lauʻi peletí pea naʻe “ʻasi fefeka ia ʻo hangē ha papá.”¹⁴ Naʻe fai ʻe Siosefa Sāmita ʻene ngāue liliu leá mei he ʻū lauʻi peleti naʻe ʻikai fakamaʻú.¹⁵

Fakatatau mo e ngaahi fuatakai ko ʻení, kuo fakafuofuaʻi ai ʻe he kau fekumi ʻi onopōní ko e ʻū lauʻi peleti ʻo e koula haohaoá ʻe fakafuofua hono mamafá he ʻikai toe siʻi hifo he  kilokalami ʻe 45 ( pauni ʻe 100) pea ʻe ngali fuʻu molū ia ke tohitongi ai ha ʻū mataʻitohi.¹⁶ Naʻe malava pē ʻe he kau tauhi lekooti ia ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná ke nau ngaohi ha ʻū lauʻi peleti loi ke ʻasi lanu koula kae ʻikai ko ha koula moʻoni. Naʻe tui ʻa Uiliami Sāmita, ko ha tehina ʻo Siosefá, naʻe faʻu e ʻū lauʻi peletí mei hono “fio e koulá mo e kopá.”¹⁷

Ngaahi Maʻuʻanga Tokoni ʻa e Siasí

“Gold Plates,” josephsmithpapers.org.

Ngaahi Maʻuʻanga Fakamatalá

ʻOku ʻoatu ʻe he pulusinga ko ʻení ha ngaahi fakamatala lahi ange fekauʻaki mo e tefito ko ʻení. ʻI hono tuku atu pe fakafehokotaki kimoutolu ki he maʻuʻanga tokoni ko ʻení, ʻoku ʻikai ke mau poupouʻi pe fakapapauʻi atu e kanotohí pe ngaahi fakakaukau ʻa e kau faʻu tohí.

Kirk B. Henrichsen, comp., “How Witnesses Described the ‘Gold Plates,’” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 10, no. 1 (2001), 16–21, 78–79.

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

Ngaahi Tefito Fekauʻakí: ʻĀngelo ko Molonaí, Liliu ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná

Maʻuʻanga Fakamatalá

1. The Wayne Sentinel, June 26, 1829, 3.

2. Joseph Smith Jr., The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi (Palmyra, New York: E. B. Grandin, 1830), iii–iv, 590, josephsmithpapers.org; tānaki atu e fakamamafá.

3. 1 Nīfai 9:2–4; Ngaahi Lea ʻa Molomoná 1:1–3, 6, 10.

4. Joseph Smith Jr., Ko e Tohi ʻa Molomoná 590; tānaki atu e fakamamafá.

5. Vakai, “19th-Century Publications about the Book of Mormon (1829–1844),” Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, lib.byu.edu. Fakahoa mo e ngaahi fakamatala naʻe faʻu ʻe Siosefa Sāmita hangē ko e “Revelation, July 1828 [DC 3],” ʻi he Revelation Book 1, 1–2, josephsmithpapers.org; “Revelation, March 1829 [DC 5],” josephsmithpapers.org; “Revelation, Spring 1829 [DC 10],” ʻi he Tohi ʻo e Ngaahi Fekaú, 22–27, josephsmithpapers.org; “Revelation, April 1828–B [DC 8],” ʻi he Revelation Book 1, 12–13, josephsmithpapers.org.

6. Naʻe kau ʻa Molonai he kau tauhi lekooti ʻo e kuonga muʻá naʻá ne tānaki atu ʻene ngaahi meʻa naʻe tohí ki he Tohi ʻa Molomoná.

7. Joseph Smith, “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” 8, josephsmithpapers.org.

8. “A Witness to the Book of Mormon,” Iowa State Register, Aug. 28, 1870.

9. “Mormonism—No. II,” Tiffany’s Monthly, Aug. 1859, 165; Joseph Smith letter to John Wentworth, ʻi he Joseph Smith, “History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842],” 1282, josephsmithpapers.org.

10. Joseph Smith, “Church History,” Times and Seasons, Mar. 1, 1842, 707, josephsmithpapers.org; “Mormonism—No. II,” 165; “An Old Mormon’s Closing Hours,” Chicago Tribune, Jan. 24, 1888, 5.

11. “Mormonism—No. II,” Tiffany’s Monthly, Aug. 1859, 164.

12. Joseph Smith III, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1, 1879, 2.

13. David Whitmer, Interview, in Edward Stevenson diary, Dec. 22–23, 1877, ʻi he Edward Stevenson Collection 1849–1922, Laipeli Hisitōlia ʻa e Siasí, Sōleki Siti.

14. David Whitmer, ʻi hono Fakaʻekeʻeke ʻe P. Wilhelm Poulson, Deseret Evening News, Aug. 16, 1878, ʻi he Lyndon W. Cook, David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness (Orem, Utah: Grandin Book Company, 1991), 20–21.

15. “An Old Mormon’s Closing Hours,” 5.

16. Vakai, Robert F. Smith, “The ‘Golden’ Plates,” ʻi he Reexploring the Book of Mormon, ed. John W. Welch (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992), 277.

17. William B. Smith, “The Old Soldier’s Testimony,” Saints’ Herald, Oct. 4, 1884, 644.