Translation of the Book of Mormon

This appeal to all people must involve many languages and the work of skilled translators. The King James Version of the Bible, for example, was produced by 50 English scholars who accomplished their work in seven years, translating at the rate of one page per day.39 Expert translators today do well if they can also translate scripture at the rate of one page per day.

In contrast, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon at the rate of about 10 pages per day, completing the task in about 85 days!40(Many of us feel good if we can read the book in that time.)

Such a pace is even more remarkable considering the circumstances under which the Prophet labored. In that same period, while enduring constant distractions and incessant hostility, Joseph Smith moved more than 100 miles from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Fayette, New York.41 He applied for a copyright.42 He received revelations comprising 12 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.43 Heavenly beings restored the holy priesthood. Yet he completed the translation in less than three months.

Russell M. Nelson, A Testimony of the Book of Mormon, October 1999 General Conference

Understanding Church History By Study and By Faith

This entire article is an excellent read.  Here are a few points that I liked:

• As a historian, I’ve come to appreciate that we learn about history “by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118).

•  We must study the records that do survive while remembering that they do not represent the entirety of the past

• In the study of history, the absence of evidence is not a valid cause for doubt. Learning about the past is an effort of gathering as much trusted and, where possible, verifiable evidence while reserving final judgment on the portions of history that we are unable to fully understand because of the lack of information.

•  Frequently, so-called problems with the past are actually just bad assumptions made in the present.

• From our perspective today, we obviously know more than participants did about the outcome of the past, but we also know far less about their experience of living in it. The people who lived in the past belonged to their own times and places and circumstances. To have charity for their differences and empathy for their experiences, we must begin with humility about our own limitations.

Understanding Church History by Study and Faith, Ensign February 2017, Keith A. Erekson, Church History Library Director