page_title: Origin of the Book of Mormon
section_title: Oliver Cowdery
hierarchical_section_title: Origin of the Book of Mormon / Theories of authorship / Theories of multiple authors / Oliver Cowdery
caption_attribution_description: Recently found daguerreotype of Oliver Cowdery (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) in the Library of Congress, DAG no. 1363. For identification, see: Patrick A. Bishop, "An Original Daguerreotype of Oliver Cowdery Identified", BYU Studies, 45 (2) 2006, pp. 100-111.
context_page_description: There are several theories as to the origin of the Book of Mormon. Most adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by Joseph Smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Smith claimed the angel Moroni, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a hill near his home in Palmyra, New York where the plates were buried. Besides Smith himself, there were at least 11 witnesses who said they saw the plates in 1829, and three also claiming to have been visited by an angel. Several other witnesses observed Smith dictating the text that eventually became the Book of Mormon.
  Critics have explored a number of issues, including whether Joseph Smith actually had golden plates, or whether the text of the Book of Mormon originated in his mind or through inspiration; whether it was Smith himself who composed the book's text or an associate of Smith's, such as Oliver Cowdery or Sidney Rigdon; and whether the book was based on prior works, such as the View of the Hebrews, the Spalding Manuscript, or the King James Version of the Bible.
context_section_description: Oliver Cowdery was a third-cousin of Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith's mother. A pastor who lived near Cowdery, Ethan Smith, had written View of the Hebrews, another work that has been posited as a source for the Book of Mormon. Cowdery served as scribe during the transcription of the Book of Mormon, and was one of the Three Witnesses to the golden plates.  Cowdery later resigned and was excommunicated in 1838, then re-joined the LDS Church in 1848.
caption: Oliver Cowdery
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