Everyone knows where the Hill Cumorah is… right? Joseph Smith received the gold plates from a hill in upstate New York. But is that the same hill where Mormon hid the Nephite records and the Nephites made their last stand in Mormon 6? It's one of the most debated questions in Book of Mormon geography, and the history behind it may surprise you.
In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot walk through what the Book of Mormon itself says about Cumorah, trace when the New York hill first came to be called by that name, and look at what the Church has officially said. Along the way they draw on the Joseph Smith Papers, the Church's "Book of Mormon Geography" statement, and the Hill Cumorah issue of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, including archaeologist John E. Clark's assessment of the site.
Chapters:
0:00 The Hill Cumorah background
5:35 Is it in New York?
12:00 Assessing the sources
16:57 What’s from Joseph Smith?
21:21 David Whitmer sources
25:27 The Church’s position
28:00 What the BoM says?
35:15 Looking at the archeology
42:50 Another candidate in Mexico
47:00 Conclusion - Learning more
===Informed Saints Credits===
Produced by The Ancient America Foundation
Producer: Spencer Clark
Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
Further Readings:
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Hill Cumorah issue: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol13/iss1/
"Book of Mormon Geography," Gospel Topics: www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/book-of-mormon-geography
Our Book of Mormon geography episode with Brant Gardner: https://youtu.be/lHEAG87wh9Y
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/hill-cumorah-site-guide/03-curators-notes
https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book/introduction-study-book-mormon
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/MStar/id/27175/
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41
https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/the-cowdery-conundrum-olivers-aborted-attempt-to-describe-joseph-smiths-first-vision-in-1834-and-1835
https://bhroberts.org/records/pWTXhj-mc2Zjf/w_w_phelps_identifies_the_hill_cumorah_as_being_in_new_york
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-a-1-23-december-1805-30-august-1834/9
https://bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com/2016/10/ramahcumorah.html
https://bhroberts.org/records/zrSENb-yN34Vd/heber_c_kimball_recounts_the_cumorah_cave
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - Introduction: Where is the Hill Cumorah?
- (00:01:08) - Book of Mormon Text: Details About Cumorah
- (00:05:37) - Distinguishing the Plates' Location from the Battle Site
- (00:06:53) - Origins of the Name 'Cumorah' for the New York Hill
- (00:08:51) - Oliver Cowdery's Letter Seven and the Mound Builder Myth
- (00:11:45) - Assessing the Reliability of Cowdery and Phelps
- (00:16:39) - What Joseph Smith Actually Said About Cumorah
- (00:19:17) - Lucy Mack Smith and David Whitmer Accounts
- (00:24:28) - Recap of Historical Sources and Timeline
- (00:25:14) - The Church's Official Neutral Stance on Geography
- (00:27:18) - Does New York Fit the Book of Mormon's Geographic Clues?
- (00:31:05) - Moroni's 35 Years and the Cumorah Cave Legends
- (00:35:10) - Archaeological Evidence (or Lack Thereof) at the New York Hill
- (00:37:55) - The Arrowhead Anecdotes: Critical Evaluation
- (00:42:43) - A Mesoamerican Candidate: Cerro El Vigía in Veracruz
- (00:46:49) - Closing Thoughts and Respecting Different Views
