190 Fun Facts About Book of Mormon

What is the name of Lehi's wife, the mother of Nephi and his brothers?

Sariah, Lehi's wife, complains bitterly when her sons are long away fetching the brass plates, then testifies that her husband is truly a prophet when they return (1 Nephi 5).

How many books make up the Book of Mormon, from First Nephi through Moroni?

Fifteen books run from First Nephi to Moroni; four of them carry the name Nephi (1, 2, 3 and 4 Nephi), and five of them are only a single chapter long.

Which two older brothers repeatedly threaten Nephi's life on the journey?

During the ocean voyage they tie Nephi up until a storm drives the ship backward and they relent. Nephi is the fourth of six sons.

Nephi and his brothers return to Jerusalem to obtain what record from a man named Laban?

Laban rebuffs the brothers twice and seizes the family fortune before Nephi finds him drunk in the street. Nephi's own record says Laban's sword had a hilt of pure gold and a steel blade.

Which sentence, spoken by Nephi in 1 Nephi 3:7, is one of the most-quoted lines in the book?

'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' is Nephi's reply when Lehi asks his sons to return for the brass plates. 'Adam fell' is 2 Nephi 2:25 and 'wickedness never was happiness' is Alma 41:10.

What was the Liahona, found outside Lehi's tent one morning?

A brass ball with two spindles, 'of curious workmanship': one spindle pointed the way the family should travel through the wilderness, and the Church's international magazine is named after it.

In Lehi's dream, what does the multitude cling to as they press through the mist of darkness?

A rod of iron runs along the river bank to the tree with the white fruit (1 Nephi 8). Sariah, Sam and Nephi eat the fruit; Laman and Lemuel refuse to come.

What name did Lehi's family give the sea where Nephi built his ship?

Nephi translates the name as 'many waters'. Sidon is a river near Zarahemla, Shelem is the mount the brother of Jared climbed, and Ripliancum is a body of water in the Jaredite record.

Which prophet's writings does Nephi copy at length in 2 Nephi chapters 12 through 24?

Isaiah: 2 Nephi 12–24 reproduces Isaiah chapters 2–14 from the brass plates, and Nephi says his soul delights in the words of Isaiah (2 Nephi 25:5).

Which single-chapter book links the small plates of Nephi to Mormon's abridgment?

Words of Mormon, 18 verses long, is where Mormon explains adding the small plates of Nephi to his abridgment and briefly summarises King Benjamin's reign. Enos, Jarom and Omni are also single chapters.

Which record-keeper opens his single-chapter book with a 'wrestle' before God while hunting in the forest?

Enos, son of Jacob, prayed all day and into the night while hunting before hearing that his sins were forgiven (Enos 1:2–5); his son Jarom took the plates after him.

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin's crowd was too large to hear him inside the temple, so he spoke from what?

A tower was erected so the multitude could hear; the speech begins in Mosiah chapter 2, says serving your fellow beings is serving your God, and ends with Benjamin handing the kingship to his son Mosiah.

Which prophet was burned to death after preaching to King Noah and his priests?

One priest, Alma the Elder, believed him and went on to baptize followers in secret at the Waters of Mormon. Mosiah 17 says he sealed 'the truth of his words by his death'.

After an angel rebuked him, Alma the Younger lay unable to move or speak for how long?

Three days and nights: Alma recalls 'for the space of three days and three nights could I not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs' (Alma 36:10), then rose and preached repentance.

In the Book of Mormon, how did Ammon, tending King Lamoni's flocks, fight off the raiders at the waters of Sebus?

Cutting off their arms with his sword as they raised their clubs; the other servants carried the severed arms to the king as proof, and six raiders fell to Ammon's sling.

In the Book of Mormon, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies covenanted never to take part in war again and did what with their weapons?

Buried them: having covenanted not to fight, they later moved to Nephite lands as the 'people of Ammon', and their sons, who had never taken the oath, became Helaman's young army.

How many 'stripling' sons of the people of Ammon marched to war under Helaman?

2,000 young men marched under Helaman (Alma 53:22); their mothers had taught them that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them, and though many were wounded, none died in battle.

In Ammonihah, the lawyer Zeezrom offers Amulek how many onties of silver to deny the existence of God?

Six onties of silver (Alma 11:22). Alma 11 lays out the Nephite money system first, and an onti was the largest silver piece, 'as great as them all'. Zeezrom later repented and was healed by Alma.

In Alma 32, Alma compares the word of God to what for the Zoramite poor?

A seed (Alma 32:28): if it is good, Alma says, it will 'begin to swell within your breasts' and grow into a tree bearing fruit. The sermon is among the book's best-known passages on faith.

How old was Moroni when the Nephites appointed him chief captain of all their armies?

Twenty-five: Alma 43:17 says Moroni was 'only twenty and five years old' when appointed chief captain. He armed his men with breastplates and shields and beat Zerahemnah's Lamanite-Zoramite force at the river Sidon.

Captain Moroni made the 'title of liberty' by writing his rallying words on what?

A piece of his torn coat (Alma 46:12): Moroni rent his coat and wrote 'In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children', then fastened it to a pole.

In the Book of Mormon's Book of Helaman, the secret criminal band that plagues the Nephites takes its name from which man?

Gadianton took over the band Kishkumen had formed after assassinating the chief judge Pahoran, promising members government posts if he became chief judge himself.

Where did Samuel the Lamanite stand to preach after the Nephites refused to let him through the gates?

On the wall of Zarahemla (Helaman 13:4): the people threw stones and shot arrows at him but could not hit him. He is unusual in the book as a Lamanite prophet preaching to Nephites.

Samuel prophesied Christ would be born in how many years, with a night as bright as day?

The sign was 'one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day'. He also foretold three days of darkness at the crucifixion, which 3 Nephi later describes.

In 3 Nephi, the resurrected Christ appears to a multitude gathered around the temple in which land?

The land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11:1), after a great storm, earthquake and three days of darkness. Christ tells them they are the 'other sheep' he spoke of in the Gospel of John.

How many disciples did Christ choose and give power to baptize during his visit in 3 Nephi?

3 Nephi 19 names them, including Nephi, his brother Timothy whom he had raised from the dead, and Kumen and Kumenonhi. Three of them asked to remain on earth until Christ's return.

After the Nephites' final battle, how many of his people did Mormon say stood with him the next morning?

Mormon 6 lists commander after commander who had 'fallen with his ten thousand', which puts the dead at 230,000 or more. His son Moroni was among the survivors.

Mormon 9:32 says the record was written in characters called what, 'handed down and altered by us'?

Reformed Egyptian (Mormon 9:32). Nephi earlier says he wrote in 'the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians' (1 Nephi 1:2); no script of that name is known outside the book.

The Book of Ether tells of the Jaredites, who left the Old World after what event?

The fall of the Tower of Babel (Ether 1:33), when languages were confounded. God led them across the ocean in eight enclosed barges lit by stones the brother of Jared had asked the Lord to touch.

How many stones did the brother of Jared carry up Mount Shelem for the Lord to touch?

Sixteen, two for each of the eight vessels (Ether 3:1). They were 'white and clear, even as transparent glass', and when the Lord touched them the brother of Jared saw his finger.

What name did Joseph Smith say was revealed for the otherwise unnamed brother of Jared?

Mahonri Moriancumer: Smith blessed Reynolds Cahoon's infant son in Kirtland and told the father he had given the child the brother of Jared's name. Moriancumer appears in Ether only as a place name.

In Moroni 10:4, God's answer on whether the book is true comes 'by the power of the' what?

The verse asks for 'a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ'. Missionaries invite investigators to test the book with it, and it closes the final book of ten chapters.

What do Latter-day Saints call the Manchester, New York, hill where Joseph Smith said the golden plates were buried?

Locals called it 'Mormon Hill' or 'Gold Bible Hill'. It is a glacial drumlin rising about 110 feet above the valley floor, about three miles from the Smith farm.

On which date was Joseph Smith finally allowed to take the plates, after four annual visits?

The angel Moroni first appeared to him on September 21, 1823. Witnesses who hefted the covered plates put their weight at 30 to 60 pounds, bound with three D-shaped rings.

Which scribe took the first 116 manuscript pages home to Palmyra in 1828, after which they vanished?

Martin Harris, who took the pages home to Palmyra in June 1828 and lost them, most likely to his estranged wife Lucy; Harris later mortgaged his farm for $3,000 to pay for the printing.

Which schoolteacher arrived in April 1829 and scribed most of the dictation?

He also copied out the printer's manuscript, which the church bought back in 2017 for US$35 million. He, Smith and Emma moved in with the Whitmer family in Fayette to finish the work.

The Eight Witnesses all came from which two families?

The Smiths and the Whitmers: Joseph's father and two brothers, four Whitmer brothers, and Hiram Page, a Whitmer brother-in-law. Mark Twain quipped that he could not feel more satisfied 'if the entire Whitmer family had testified'.

Which Palmyra printer, who had first refused the job, published the 1830 first edition?

E. B. Grandin, who demanded $3,000 security before printing and sold the first copies from his shop on Palmyra's Main Street; Thurlow Weed of Rochester had turned the job down.

How many copies were in the 1830 first print run?

5,000 copies, costing $3,000, about 60 cents a book; Martin Harris, who had mortgaged his farm to pay for it, struggled to sell them. By 2020 the church had printed more than 190 million copies.

Which apostle divided the text into its modern shorter chapters and verses in 1879?

Orson Pratt prepared the 1879 edition, dividing the text into shorter chapters with numbered verses. The 1852 edition had merely numbered paragraphs, and Talmage's 1920 edition later set the text in double columns.

In what year did the church add the subtitle 'Another Testament of Jesus Christ' to its editions?

1982: that year the church added 'Another Testament of Jesus Christ' to the title page of its editions, underscoring the book's role as a second witness beside the Bible.

Into which language was the Book of Mormon first translated, in 1851?

Danish: the 1851 Copenhagen edition, prepared by Peter O. Hansen under apostle Erastus Snow, was the first in any language other than English; French, German, Italian and Welsh followed in 1852.

The Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" was written by Robert Lopez and which two South Park creators?

Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote the book, music and lyrics with Robert Lopez, who went on to the songs of Frozen; the show premiered on Broadway in March 2011 after years of workshops.

In the musical The Book of Mormon, the two missionaries are sent to preach in a remote village in which African country?

Uganda is the posting, though Elder Price had prayed to be sent to Orlando, Florida instead; the village is menaced by a warlord.

(The musical) Which future voice of Olaf originated the role of Elder Cunningham on Broadway in 2011?

Josh Gad, who went on to voice Olaf in Frozen, originated Elder Cunningham; Andrew Rannells originated Elder Price opposite him, and both were Tony-nominated for Best Actor in a Musical.

(The musical) How many Tony Awards did the show win in 2011, including Best Musical?

The cast album also won a Grammy and climbed to number three on the Billboard 200 after the Tonys, the highest chart position for a Broadway cast album in over four decades.

(The musical) Nikki M. James won the Tony for Best Featured Actress for playing which character?

Nabulungi, the village girl who leads the wildly garbled 'Joseph Smith American Moses' pageant and is baptized by Elder Cunningham; Elder McKinley is a male role, originated by Rory O'Malley.

How old was Joseph Smith when he said the angel Moroni first appeared to him in 1823?

Seventeen: born December 23, 1805, Smith dated the first visit to the evening of September 21, 1823, four years before he said he received the plates.

In which present-day New York county did Smith say the plates were buried?

Ontario County: the hill sits in the town of Manchester, just south of the Wayne County line at Palmyra. The church bought it in 1928 and topped it with a statue of Moroni in 1935.

Roughly how many working days did the 1829 dictation of the extant text take?

53 to 74 working days: nearly all the surviving text was dictated between Oliver Cowdery's arrival in April 1829 and the end of June, roughly 65 working days by John Welch's count.

What did Smith often place a seer stone inside to darken it while dictating?

A hat: Smith would put the seer stone in a hat and bury his face in it to exclude the light, as Emma Smith and David Whitmer both described for the later stages of the dictation.

Where do scholars conclude the dictation resumed after the 116 pages were lost?

In what is now Mosiah: Smith did not retranslate the lost opening, and the small plates of Nephi were dictated last to fill the gap.

Which of Joseph's brothers occasionally helped scribe from late 1828 to April 1829?

Samuel Smith occasionally took dictation in that slow stretch, alongside Emma, who did most of the writing; little progress was made until Oliver Cowdery arrived in April 1829.

On what date did the Book of Mormon go on sale in Grandin's Palmyra bookstore?

March 26, 1830, the day Grandin's shop first offered the book for sale; the church itself was organized eleven days later, on April 6, 1830.

Which historian's 1945 biography is credited with debunking the Spalding manuscript theory?

Fawn M. Brodie's 1945 No Man Knows My History argued that Smith wrote the book himself, discrediting the theory that he and Sidney Rigdon plagiarized an unpublished Solomon Spalding novel.

Which 1823 book on the Hebraic Indian theory is often suggested as an influence on the text?

View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith of Vermont. Whether it influenced Joseph Smith is debated; the Book of Mormon does not present its peoples as the Ten Lost Tribes, as that book did.

Which 1678 Christian allegory shares descriptive language with the Abinadi martyr narrative?

The Pilgrim's Progress: John Bunyan's character Faithful is tried and martyred at Vanity Fair in a scene some scholars compare closely to Abinadi's trial and burning before King Noah.

Which author dismissed the book as 'chloroform in print'?

Twain also called it 'a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament' in Roughing It.

Jacob 5's long allegory of the tame and wild olive trees is quoted from which prophet?

Zenos: Jacob 5:1 introduces 'the words of the prophet Zenos', a brass-plates prophet unknown to the Bible, whose allegory of the Lord of the vineyard grafting wild branches runs 77 verses.

Which run of books is described as originating from the small plates?

First Nephi through Omni come from the small plates: first-person books running from about 600 BC to about 130 BC, before Mormon's abridgment of the large plates takes over at Mosiah.

3 Nephi 24 and 25 reproduce the last two chapters of which Old Testament book?

Malachi: 3 Nephi 24–25 give Malachi 3–4, which Christ says the Father commanded him to deliver because the Nephites lacked them, Lehi having left Jerusalem before Malachi wrote.

Which scholar described the book's eschatology as a theology of Native or nonwhite liberation?

Hickman reads the ending as an 'apocalyptic reversal' meant to jar white antebellum readers.

In what year did Joseph Smith call the book 'the keystone of our religion'?

1841: on November 28 that year Smith told the Twelve the Book of Mormon was 'the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion', though he quoted the Bible far more in his preaching.

Which church president, serving 1985-1994, especially pushed the Book of Mormon as central?

Ezra Taft Benson, president 1985–1994, who said in 1986 that the church remained under the 1832 condemnation (Doctrine and Covenants 84) for treating the book lightly.

Which of Lehi's sons, his last-born in the wilderness, receives the blessing in 2 Nephi 3?

Joseph, Lehi's 'last-born... in the wilderness of mine afflictions' (2 Nephi 3:1), receives a blessing foretelling a latter-day seer also named Joseph who would bring forth Lehi's record.

In which city was the second edition of the Book of Mormon printed, in 1837?

Kirtland, Ohio: the 1837 second edition was printed there with hundreds of grammatical corrections made by Smith and Oliver Cowdery; the third edition followed for Nauvoo in 1840 and the first British edition in Liverpool in 1841.

Which 19th-century leader claimed to translate the Voree Plates in imitation of Smith?

Strang's scripture, the Book of the Law of the Lord, claims to include part of Laban's brass plates.

Which Nahua-Mexican Latter-day Saint published a 1935 treatise on Indigenous Mexicans as Lehi's descendants?

Margarito Bautista, whose 1935 La evolución de México argued Mexico's Indigenous peoples were Lehi's heirs; excommunicated in 1937, he founded a polygamous colony at Ozumba, Mexico.

Which region do many apologists prefer as the setting for a limited geography model?

Mesoamerica: the limited geography model favoured by apologists such as John L. Sorenson places the events in southern Mexico and Guatemala. A rival 'Heartland' movement insists they happened inside the present-day United States.

Which anachronistic livestock does the narrative mention that archaeology has not found in pre-Columbian America?

Barley, wheat, silk, steel, chariots and the wheel are on the same list of disputed items.

Which archaeological site did John L. Sorenson say resembles the city of Zarahemla?

Mainstream scholars generally call such parallels 'parallelomania'.

In 2006 the LDS introduction changed to call Lamanites what, in relation to American Indians?

'Among the ancestors': the 2006 change replaced 'the principal ancestors of the American Indians', wording that had stood since the 1981 edition, a shift that followed DNA studies of Native American ancestry.

Which Dutch rabbi wrote a 1650 book proposing Native Americans descended from Jews?

Manasseh ben Israel, whose 1650 The Hope of Israel argued the Ten Lost Tribes had reached the Americas; the idea persisted into the antebellum period, when the Book of Mormon found its first readers.

Where was the entire original manuscript sealed in October 1841?

The cornerstone of the Nauvoo House, laid October 2, 1841; when Lewis Bidamon opened it in 1882, water and mold had destroyed most of the manuscript.

After the 1991 fragment find, roughly what share of the original manuscript survived?

A cache of fragments from 58 pages turned up in 1991; most of the rest was destroyed by water and mold in the Nauvoo House cornerstone.

What did the Zoramites call the high stand from which each worshipper recited the same prayer?

Rameumptom, 'the holy stand' (Alma 31:21): each Zoramite climbed it once a week to recite the same set prayer thanking God for electing them, which appalled Alma's missionaries.

Which son of Jared became the first king of the Jaredites?

Orihah: after the brother of Jared's sons all refused the crown, Jared's son Orihah accepted and 'was anointed to be king over the people' (Ether 6:27), reigning righteously.

Which two brothers were encircled by fire in a Lamanite prison in Helaman 5?

Nephi and Lehi, sons of Helaman: in the prison in the land of Nephi they were encircled by fire that did not burn them, and about three hundred Lamanites who saw it were converted (Helaman 5:23–49).

Which anti-Christ in the Book of Jacob was struck down after demanding a sign?

Sherem, who denied that Christ would come and demanded a sign of Jacob; he was struck to the earth, confessed before the people that he had lied, and died (Jacob 7).

In Alma 19, what did the servant Abish do when King Lamoni's household lay as dead?

Ran house to house gathering the people: Abish hoped the sight would convert them (Alma 19:17); when the crowd quarrelled she took the queen's hand and the queen arose.

In what year did the LDS Church begin releasing its live-action Book of Mormon Videos series?

The episodes were distributed on the church's website and YouTube channel.

Roughly how much did people who reported hefting the plates say they weighed?

Accounts describe thin metallic pages engraved on both sides and bound with three D-shaped rings.

What name did Lehi give the river flowing into the Red Sea by his first camp?

Laman: Lehi named the river after his eldest son, wishing he would be 'like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness', and named the valley Lemuel (1 Nephi 2:8–10).

What color was the seer stone Smith found while digging a neighbor's well?

Chocolate brown: the egg-sized stone, found while digging a well for Willard Chase in 1822, was photographed for the first time when the church published the images on August 4, 2015.

What nickname did western New York earn for its repeated religious revivals?

The burned-over district, a term popularised by evangelist Charles Grandison Finney for a region so repeatedly revived there was no 'fuel' left to burn; it was also known for a craze for treasure hunting.

About how much per month was young Smith paid to work as a scryer with seer stones?

He would put the stone in a white stovepipe hat and look for lost items or treasure.

Which deceased brother did Smith say the angel first named as the 'right person' to bring in 1824?

Alvin had died in November 1823; Smith later concluded the right person was Emma Hale.

Where did Smith say he first hid the plates on the night he retrieved them?

In a hollow log: Lucy Mack Smith wrote that he hid them in a decayed birch log about three miles from home, then took a well-digging job in Macedon to earn money for a lockable chest.

Which injury did Smith say he suffered fighting off three attackers while carrying the plates home?

A dislocated thumb, in his mother's history: he knocked down each of three attackers in turn while running through the woods with the plates under his arm and arrived home with the thumb out of joint.

In what were the plates hidden when the Smiths moved to Harmony, Pennsylvania, in late 1827?

A barrel of beans, on the wagon that took Joseph and Emma to Harmony, Pennsylvania, in December 1827. Emma later said the plates then sat on a table wrapped in a linen tablecloth.

According to Smith's mother, what frightened Lucy Harris off from digging for the plates?

A large black snake, in Lucy Mack Smith's history: Lucy Harris had searched the house, grounds and woods after Smith refused to show her the plates, and fled when the snake hissed at her.

Roughly how many words long is the Book of Mormon?

Apologists cite that length against the short dictation window as evidence Smith could not have memorized it.

What did Martin Harris say the plates were bound with in his 1859 description?

Three silver rings, Harris told Tiffany's Monthly in 1859, binding plates seven by eight inches and about four inches thick when stacked, so that they 'would open like a book'.

What was hanging on the cave wall when Smith reportedly returned the plates, per early accounts?

The same accounts describe 'many wagon loads' of other ancient records in the cave.

What did King Benjamin's people covenant to take upon themselves at the end of his sermon?

The name of Christ: after the people cried that they had no more disposition to do evil, Benjamin told them to 'take upon you the name of Christ' and be called his children (Mosiah 5:7–8).

1 Nephi 4:13 says it is better one man perish than a nation should what?

'Dwindle and perish in unbelief': the Spirit tells Nephi it is better that Laban die than that a nation lose the brass plates and its faith, and Nephi then takes Laban's sword (1 Nephi 4:13).

What does Lehi see upon a rock in 1 Nephi 1, before his vision of God?

A pillar of fire: as Lehi prayed for his people, 'there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him' (1 Nephi 1:6); he then saw God on his throne and received a book.

Where did Cowdery say he and Smith baptized each other after John the Baptist ordained them?

The Susquehanna River at Harmony, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1829; Cowdery said Peter, James and John later ordained the pair to the Melchizedek priesthood.

What Kirtland church newspaper did Oliver Cowdery edit?

The Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, published in Kirtland from 1834 to 1837, which Cowdery edited; he was also ordained Assistant President of the Church in December 1834.

Which Nephite king escaped Lamanite bondage by getting the guards drunk, in Mosiah 22?

Limhi: on Gideon's plan his people sent tribute wine to the Lamanite guards, and while the guards slept drunk the whole people slipped out by a back pass toward Zarahemla (Mosiah 22:7–11).

Which Columbia College classical scholar was shown copied characters from the plates in 1828?

Believers say his words 'I cannot read a sealed book' fulfilled a prophecy of Isaiah.

Which forger sold a fake Anthon Transcript to LDS leaders in 1980?

Mark Hofmann, whose 'Anthon Transcript' fooled church leaders in 1980; his forgeries unravelled after he killed two people with pipe bombs in Salt Lake City in October 1985 and pleaded guilty in 1987.

What newspaper did E. B. Grandin own and publish in Palmyra?

The Wayne Sentinel, which Grandin bought in 1827 at age 21 and in which he first advertised the Book of Mormon for sale; he also ran a bookbindery and lending library.

What did chief compositor John H. Gilbert find missing from the manuscript he typeset?

Any punctuation: Gilbert said the manuscript had 'not a punctuation mark from beginning to end', so he added punctuation and capitalization in the evenings as he set the type.

Which local weekly reprinted mocking excerpts from the unbound sheets before publication?

The Palmyra Reflector, whose editor Abner Cole (writing as 'Obadiah Dogberry') printed extracts in January 1830 because he used Grandin's press on Sundays; Smith threatened legal action and Cole stopped.

How did the wicked King Noah die, according to Mosiah 19?

Burned to death by his own men: Noah's followers, angry that he had made them abandon their families to flee the Lamanites, put him to death by fire, as Abinadi had prophesied (Mosiah 19:20).

Geologically, what kind of landform is the hill Cumorah in Manchester, New York?

A drumlin: an elongated, whale-backed hill of glacial till left by the retreating ice sheet, one of many such drumlins across western New York's Finger Lakes region.

Which church president oversaw the purchase of the hill Cumorah in the 1920s?

Heber J. Grant, president from 1918 to 1945; the church acquired the hill and surrounding farmland in 1928, and Grant himself dedicated the Moroni monument on its summit in July 1935.

What derogatory nickname did local non-members give Cumorah?

Gold Bible Hill, a jibe at the 'gold bible' Smith claimed to have dug from it; neighbours also called it Mormon Hill.

In what year did the Hill Cumorah Pageant premiere?

1937: the first full pageant, America's Witness for Christ, scripted by NYU professor H. Wayne Driggs, was staged on the hillside that July, two years after the Moroni monument was dedicated.

Which science-fiction author was tasked with writing a new pageant script in 1988?

Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game (1985) and a Latter-day Saint, wrote the new script first staged in 1988, tightening the show's running time.

Which entertainer left a Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tour in 1997 to play Samuel the Lamanite?

Donny Osmond, who played Samuel the Lamanite in the 1997 pageant alongside family members in a volunteer cast of about 700; he had spent much of the 1990s starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Roughly how many people watched the pageant each summer?

About 35,000 people a summer, over seven free performances in mid-to-late July; no tickets were sold and no donations were accepted.

In what year did the church announce it would end the Hill Cumorah Pageant?

2018: in October that year the church said it would wind down large pageants and that the Hill Cumorah Pageant would end after the 2020 season; COVID-19 then cancelled 2020 outright.

How much money did Martin Harris first give Smith to finance the translation?

$50, which Harris gave Smith in late 1827 to fund the move to Harmony, Pennsylvania; his wife Lucy also offered money, though Smith refused her request to see the plates.

Whose record, later called by his name, did the 116 lost pages contain?

Lehi: Smith called the lost text the Book of Lehi, an abridgment of Lehi's record, and replaced it with his translation of the small plates of Nephi rather than retranslating it.

Which servant of Laban did Nephi compel to join the family after taking the brass plates?

Zoram, Laban's servant who held the keys to the treasury; Nephi, wearing Laban's clothes, led him out with the brass plates and then swore an oath to keep him as a free man (1 Nephi 4:20–37).

Whose family did Lehi's sons bring out of Jerusalem on their second return trip?

The daughters of Ishmael became wives for Lehi's sons and Zoram.

How many years did Lehi's family spend in the wilderness before reaching Bountiful?

Eight years (1 Nephi 17:4), after which they reached the coastal land they named Bountiful, where Nephi built a ship under divine direction and the family sailed for the promised land.

What did Laman and Lemuel do to Nephi during the ocean voyage?

Tied him up: Laman and Lemuel bound Nephi with cords, and a great storm drove the ship backward for three days until, on the fourth, they feared drowning and loosed him (1 Nephi 18:11–21).

To which brother did Nephi pass the small plates and record?

Jacob, his younger brother, whom Nephi commanded to write only the most precious things on the small plates (Jacob 1:1–4); Grant Hardy speculates Nephi's own sons may have been swayed by Laman and Lemuel.

Which name did later kings adopt in honour of the first ruler, per Jacob 1:11?

Jacob explains they were called second Nephi, third Nephi and so on regardless of their given names.

Roughly when does the text say the Nephites were destroyed?

About AD 385: Mormon dates the last battle at Cumorah to the 385th year after the sign of Christ's birth (Mormon 6:5), roughly 1,000 years after Lehi left Jerusalem around 600 BC.

Which Maya scholar wrote in 1973 that no non-Mormon archaeologist backs the book's history?

Michael Coe, in a 1973 Dialogue essay 'Mormons and Archaeology: An Outside View'; the Smithsonian issued a similar statement in 1996 after its name was misused to lend the book credibility.

What did the last Nephite king do about 91 BC instead of naming a successor?

There were at least three levels of judges, headed by a single chief judge.

Who became the first elected chief judge of the Nephites?

Alma the Younger was the first elected chief judge and the religious leader of the Nephites, and later resigned the judgeship to preach full time.

Which insurrectionist did Alma defeat while serving as both chief judge and military commander?

Amlici, who sought to be king and was killed by Alma in single combat at the river Sidon in the fifth year of the judges (Alma 2:29–31); his followers joined the Lamanites.

Which anti-Christ lost his power of speech after debating Alma?

Korihor, who demanded a sign and was struck dumb (Alma 30:49–50); reduced to begging, he was later trampled to death among the Zoramites.

Which three sons received Alma's final counsel?

Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton, in Alma 36–42: Helaman receives the records, Shiblon brief praise, and Corianton the famous rebuke for abandoning his ministry to chase the harlot Isabel.

Which chief judge received Moroni's furious letter accusing the government of neglecting the army?

Pahoran: in Alma 60 Moroni threatens to march on Zarahemla, and Pahoran replies in Alma 61 that king-men have driven him from the judgment seat, so Moroni joins him to retake the capital.

What was the name of the king-men leader killed when Moroni marched on Zarahemla?

Moroni had earlier threatened to 'stir up insurrections' when Pahoran failed to send help.

To whom did Captain Moroni hand command of the armies when he retired?

Moronihah, his son, who took command in about 61 BC (Alma 62:43); Moroni retired to his own house and died in the 36th year of the judges, around 56 BC (Alma 63:3).

How did Teancum kill King Amalickiah in his camp?

With a javelin: Teancum crept into the Lamanite camp by night and 'put a javelin to his heart' as Amalickiah slept, on the last night of the 25th year of the judges (Alma 51:33–34).

Which brother of Amalickiah did Teancum also assassinate, at the cost of his own life?

Ammoron, Amalickiah's brother and successor as Lamanite king; Teancum slipped into his camp by night and cast a javelin into him, but the guards caught and killed Teancum (Alma 62:36).

How did Amalickiah dispose of the Lamanite commander Lehonti after uniting their armies?

Had him quietly poisoned: one of Amalickiah's servants 'administered poison by degrees' to Lehonti until he died (Alma 47:18); Amalickiah then had the Lamanite king murdered and married the queen to take the throne.

What oath did Amalickiah swear against Captain Moroni?

To drink his blood: after Moroni's fortified cities repulsed his first invasion, Amalickiah 'did curse God, and also Moroni, swearing with an oath that he would drink his blood' (Alma 49:27).

What did Smith call the two stones in silver bows found with the plates?

The Urim and Thummim, borrowing the name of the priestly oracle of Exodus 28:30; Smith said the two stones in silver bows were fastened to a breastplate, and the text itself calls them 'interpreters'.

Which one-chapter book covers nearly three centuries, from about AD 35 to 321?

Fourth Nephi, a single chapter of 49 verses that races from the 34th to the 320th year after Christ's birth, describing a time when there were 'no manner of -ites' before the people divided again.

How many of Jesus's disciples in 4 Nephi were allowed to live until the end of human history?

The 'Three Nephites' became a fixture of later Latter-day Saint folklore.

Which river does the Book of Mormon place Zarahemla near?

Sidon, whose 'head' lay in the wilderness south of Zarahemla (Alma 22:29) and whose waters carried the bodies of Amlicite and Lamanite dead to the sea (Alma 3:3); most readers infer it flowed northward.

Whose son does the Book of Mormon say Mulek was?

King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah: Helaman 8:21 says all his sons were slain by the Babylonians 'except it were Mulek', who reached the New World and founded the people of Zarahemla.

How long did the last Jaredite, Coriantumr, live among the Mulekites before he died?

Nine months: Omni 1:21 says Coriantumr 'dwelt with them for the space of nine moons'; a large engraved stone telling his story was later interpreted by the seer-king Mosiah.

How many days did the Jaredite barges take to cross the ocean?

344 days (Ether 6:11): the sealed barges were driven by wind, sometimes buried beneath the waves without sinking, and the people sang praises until they landed in the promised land.

What did the Jaredites call the honeybees they carried across the sea?

The word later gave its name to Utah's proposed State of Deseret and its beehive symbol.

Which Nephite led a colony back to the land of Nephi and became its king?

Zeniff, who led a party from Zarahemla to reclaim the land of Nephi from the Lamanites and was made its king; his record (Mosiah 9–10) opens the account of his son Noah and grandson Limhi.

How many of Coriantumr's people does Ether 15 say had been slain before the final battles?

Over 2 million: Ether 15:2 says 'two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children' had already fallen by the sword before the last battles at the hill Ramah.

Which sculptor made the gilded Moroni statue dedicated on the hill Cumorah in 1935?

Torleif Knaphus, a Norwegian-born Utah sculptor, made the gilded Moroni figure atop a granite shaft at Cumorah, dedicated in July 1935; Cyrus Dallin's earlier Moroni stands on the Salt Lake Temple.

Where in the Book of Moroni is the letter from Mormon condemning infant baptism?

The eighth chapter: Moroni 8 preserves Mormon's letter calling infant baptism 'solemn mockery before God' (8:9) and saying little children 'are not capable of committing sin' (8:8).

In what year does the text say Moroni finished writing and sealed up the plates?

AD 421: Moroni 10:1 opens 'more than four hundred and twenty years have passed away since the sign was given of the coming of Christ', and he then seals the record to come forth later.

For how many years did Jarom keep the small plates before passing them to his son Omni?

59 years: Enos closes in the 179th year after Lehi left Jerusalem and Jarom hands the plates to Omni in the 238th (Jarom 1:13); his fifteen-verse book is the shortest in the volume.

Who was warned to flee the land of Nephi and led the Nephites to Zarahemla?

Mosiah, father of King Benjamin, was warned to flee the land of Nephi and led the faithful Nephites down to discover the people of Zarahemla, becoming their king (Omni 1:12–19).

In Helaman 3, Nephite migrants short of timber became expert builders in which material?

Cement: Helaman 3:7 says the people who moved into the land northward 'became exceedingly expert in the working of cement' and built houses of it because timber was scarce.

From whom did King Benjamin receive the small plates of Nephi?

Amaleki, the last writer in Omni, who having no descendants delivered the small plates to King Benjamin (Omni 1:25); Benjamin's farewell sermon in Mosiah 2–5 is among the book's most influential.

Which priest of King Noah believed Abinadi and later became a prophet?

Alma the Elder, the one priest who believed Abinadi and pleaded for his life; he fled, taught Abinadi's words privately and baptized converts at the waters of Mormon (Mosiah 17–18).

Where on Broadway did the musical premiere on March 24, 2011?

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre on West 49th Street, where previews began on February 24, 2011 and the show opened a month later; it went on to break the house's box-office record repeatedly.

Which puppet musical had Robert Lopez co-created before The Book of Mormon?

Avenue Q, the Tony-winning 2003 puppet musical Lopez co-wrote; Parker and Stone saw it on a producer's advice, and Lopez, who spotted them in the crowd, met them afterwards.

Which of Lopez's earlier co-writers was separated from the project after arguing with Trey Parker?

The remaining trio worked for years on what they first called The Musical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In which song are the new missionaries paired off and given their mission postings?

'Two by Two': the Missionary Training Center pairs off the elders and reads out postings from Norway to Uganda, where Price is dismayed to be sent with Cunningham.

Where did the first fully staged reading take place in February 2008?

The Vineyard Theatre, the off-Broadway house where Avenue Q had begun, hosted the reading; Parker and Stone spent hundreds of thousands of their own dollars on workshops before committing to a stage show.

In which song does Elder Cunningham baptize Nabulungi, staged as a love duet?

'Baptize Me': Cunningham's full-immersion baptism of Nabulungi is played as a nervous first-time love scene, the pair trading lines about getting 'wet' and doing it 'right'.

Which Act Two solo has Elder Price recite his beliefs before facing the warlord?

'I Believe': Elder Price marches into the General's camp declaring tenets from the Garden of Eden in Missouri to God living on the planet Kolob, the show's best-known solo.

Where does Elder Price pray to be sent for his mission?

Orlando, Florida, home of Disney World; his disappointment at being sent to Uganda instead powers the late-show number 'Orlando'.

Who is Nabulungi's father in the musical?

Mafala Hatimbi, the village leader who greets the missionaries with the song 'Hasa Diga Eebowai' and whose daughter Nabulungi is the first villager to embrace the elders' message.

Which song has district leader Elder McKinley teach the newcomers to suppress upsetting ideas?

'Turn It Off': Elder McKinley's tap number about switching off troubling feelings 'like a light switch' earned Rory O'Malley a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Which figures personify Cunningham's conscience in 'Making Things Up Again'?

Hobbits, Uhura, Darth Vader and Yoda appear as Cunningham's conscience alongside his father, Joseph Smith and Moroni, scolding him for mixing science fiction into scripture.

What is the name of the scripture the newly minted Ugandan elders preach in the finale?

The Book of Arnold, Elder Cunningham's invented scripture, which the Ugandan converts preach door to door in the finale's reprise of 'Hello!'.

Which city does Nabulungi imagine as a paradise in her Act One solo?

Salt Lake City, which Nabulungi, who has never left her village, pictures as a paradise in the ballad 'Sal Tlay Ka Siti', her phonetic rendering of the name.

How did Matt Stone famously describe the show?

'An atheist's love letter to religion' was Stone's description; the church's own response said the show 'may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening' but the scripture 'will change people's lives forever'.

Who co-directed the Broadway production with Trey Parker and also choreographed it?

Casey Nicholaw, who shared the 2011 Tony for Best Direction of a Musical with Parker and staged numbers such as the tap routine 'Turn It Off'.

Which future Dear Evan Hansen star played Elder Cunningham on Broadway in 2014?

He first played the role in the Chicago sit-down production opposite Nic Rouleau.

In which city did the first North American tour begin previews in August 2012?

Denver, where the first national tour played the Ellie Caulkins Opera House from August 2012 before moving to the Pantages in Los Angeles for its official September opening.

Where did the West End production open in March 2013?

The Prince of Wales Theatre, where the West End production opened on March 21, 2013 after previews from late February, and where it went on to run for more than a decade.

In which city did the first non-English production open in January 2017?

Stockholm, where a Swedish-language production opened at the Chinateatern in January 2017; a Norwegian version followed at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo that September.

Which venue hosted the original Melbourne production from January 2017?

The Princess Theatre in Melbourne, where the Australian production began in January 2017 with Ryan Bondy as Elder Price and A. J. Holmes as Cunningham before transferring to Sydney's Lyric Theatre in 2018.

Which slogan did the LDS Church use in playbill ads at the show's venues?

'You've seen the play, now read the book' ran in playbills alongside 'The book is always better' and 'I've read the book', each pointing to the church's website; the church declined to protest the show.

Which label released the original Broadway cast recording on May 17, 2011?

Ghostlight Records released the album on May 17, 2011, after NPR streamed a free preview of the whole recording a week earlier; it went on to win the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.

What peak did the cast album reach on the Billboard 200 after the 2011 Tonys?

Number three on the Billboard 200, reached after the Tony broadcast, the highest position for a Broadway cast album since Hair hit number one in 1969.

Who played Elder Price in the original West End cast of 2013?

Gavin Creel, who won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical as Elder Price; Jared Gertner played Cunningham opposite him at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

In which Nebraska city was Elder Price originator Andrew Rannells born?

Omaha, where Rannells was born in 1978 and grew up before moving to New York; he later reunited with Josh Gad for Gutenberg! The Musical! on Broadway in 2023.

At which university did Josh Gad and Rory O'Malley become friends as students?

Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where Gad and O'Malley studied drama together; O'Malley played Elder McKinley opposite Gad's Cunningham in the original Broadway cast.

Which Hamilton role did Rory O'Malley take over from Jonathan Groff in 2016?

King George III, whom O'Malley played on Broadway from April 2016 for about nine months after Jonathan Groff left, and then on the national tour.

Which 2023 musical brought Casey Nicholaw a second Tony, this time for choreography?

His first Tony was for co-directing The Book of Mormon with Trey Parker.

Robert Lopez became the first person to win which set of awards more than once each?

EGOT: Lopez completed the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony set with his 2014 Oscar for 'Let It Go' and became the first to win each of the four at least twice, a 'double EGOT'.

What is Robert Lopez's ancestry through his father, who was born on a ship after leaving Manila?

Filipino: Lopez's father Frank is Filipino-American, and Lopez, born in Manhattan in 1975, grew up in Greenwich Village and studied at Yale.

In the musical's opening number 'Hello!', what method are the missionaries-to-be practising?

Door-to-door conversion is the drill at the Missionary Training Center, before Price learns his posting.

Which producer steered Trey Parker and Matt Stone toward seeing Avenue Q in 2003, a nudge that seeded The Book of Mormon?

Scott Rudin, who also produced South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, saw a kinship between Avenue Q's puppets and the marionettes of Team America.

The musical's warlord takes his name from a real commander in which country's civil war?

Liberia: the show's warlord extends the nom de guerre of Joshua Milton Blahyi, the Liberian civil-war commander known as 'General Butt Naked', who led fighters into battle unclothed.

In which song does Elder Price's lesson on Joseph Smith turn into a tribute to himself?

'All-American Prophet': Elder Price's lesson on Joseph Smith and the golden plates turns, verse by verse, into a celebration of Price himself as the next great prophet.

Which pair won the 2011 Tony for Best Orchestrations for The Book of Mormon?

Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus won the 2011 Tony for Best Orchestrations; Oremus, also the show's music director, had earlier orchestrated Avenue Q and music-directed Wicked.

Which 2003 South Park episode had Parker and Stone already retelling Joseph Smith's story?

'All About Mormons' (2003) retold Joseph Smith's story with a mocking 'dum dum dum' chorus eight years before the musical; Parker and Stone have said they find Mormons unfailingly nice.