The Book of Mormon makes the further claim that the gold plates containing this ancient record “were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God.”4 The plates were said to be inscribed in a script called “reformed Egyptian.”5 Smith did not translate these engraved characters in a strict sense. Rather, Mormons believe that God showed him by supernatural means what the archaic words meant in English. Smith then dictated this “translation” to a scribe. Completed in just