I think we can all agree that the Book of Mormon is probably one of the most controversial publications ever produced. Every single aspect of it is debated.
You have apologists who firmly believe the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that it is an ancient record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, and that it was given to Joseph Smith by an ancient American prophet named Moroni, who appeared as an angel.
Or you have critics like myself who firmly believe that the Book of Mormon is a 19th century publication.
But even beyond that, there are countless debates about the actual content of the book itself. One of the biggest is its historical setting. Where was the Book of Mormon actually supposed to take place?
Some apologists and critics believe the narrative largely unfolded in North America, in places that would eventually become the United States. Others argue that it took place in South America or Central America. Historically, the LDS Church has even presented evidence that it believed pointed toward Central and South America.
The problem is that nobody can really agree on where these civilizations supposedly rose and fell.
However, in spite of all of these arguments, we actually have a fascinating piece of evidence from an early church leader that tells us Lehi and his family supposedly landed in Chile. That would strongly imply that the early narrative of the Book of Mormon was understood to have occurred in South America.
We can examine this evidence in a historical document hosted on the Joseph Smith Papers website, titled Appendix 2, Document 2B: Writings and Characters Copied by Frederick G. Williams, circa early to mid-1830s.
Frederick G. Williams was an early scribe to Joseph Smith. He began serving as Joseph Smith's scribe in 1832, held leadership positions in the church, and was closely associated with Joseph Smith. He also attended the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio, where this document was likely written.
One thing about this document immediately stands out.
Unlike almost everything else on the Joseph Smith Papers website, it has never been transcribed. Most documents on the site include a transcription to help readers work through the nineteenth-century handwriting (to to show up on search results). This one does not, even though it contains a substantial amount of material.
The document includes what is described as "Reformed Egyptian," two of which are translated into "The Book of Mormon" along with two characters labeled "The Interpretation of Languages."
On the reverse side is an additional collection of characters that also appear to be Reformed Egyptian. If you're familiar with the character sheet I've discussed in previous videos, you'll recognize some of these symbols.
There's also a note written in red by Frederick G. Williams Jr. stating that these characters were likely presented to his father during the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
By itself, it's a fascinating historical document.
But what I want to focus on is the paragraph near the bottom.
The section begins:
"The course that Lehi traveled from the city of Jerusalem to the place where he and his family took ship..."
It then proceeds to describe the exact route Lehi supposedly traveled.
This is important because Williams wrote these notes while attending the School of the Prophets. That makes it possible that this information came directly from Joseph Smith's teachings.
This document is discussed in a Scripture Central article titled Did Lehi Land in Chile? The article argues that this statement should not necessarily be attributed directly to Joseph Smith. My opinion is that the entire argument only exists because a statement this specific would create a very clear geographic claim. If Joseph Smith taught that Lehi landed in Chile, people would know exactly where to begin looking for archaeological evidence.
Whether or not you agree with Scripture Central's conclusions, the document itself exists, and it contains a remarkably specific travel itinerary.
To make the document easier to understand, I've included my own transcription of the section below. Then we'll open Google Earth and map the route exactly as it's described.
Mapping Lehi's Journey
We'll begin in Jerusalem.
The document states:
"The course that Lehi traveled from the city of Jerusalem to the place where he and his family took ship..."
Starting in Jerusalem, Lehi's family travels "in a nearly south-southeast direction until reaching the nineteenth degree of north latitude."
On Google Earth, that brings us to approximately this location along the Arabian Peninsula.
From there, the document says they traveled "nearly east" to the Sea of Arabia.
Next, it states that they "sailed in a southeast direction".
Following that course requires crossing the Indian Ocean before eventually reaching the western coast of South America.
The document concludes that they landed:
"...on the continent of South America in Chili thirty degrees South Latitude."
Comparing This to Other Maps
If you search online for maps of Lehi's journey, you'll find dozens of different reconstructions.
Many of them generally agree with the first portion of the route preserved in the Frederick G. Williams document and the geographical descriptions found in the Book of Mormon. In fact, some of those maps can ultimately be traced back to this very document.
But every so often you'll come across maps that disagree entirely.
Some propose that Lehi sailed west around Africa before eventually reaching Florida or North America. (This would be referred to as the Heartland route)
Those reconstructions simply don't match what Frederick G. Williams recorded while attending the School of the Prophets, and in some ways, lose a certain level of credibility.
If we accept that Williams recorded these notes while attending Joseph Smith's School of the Prophets, then this document gives us a very clear picture of the world that Joseph Smith was building as he dictated the text of The Book of Mormon
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