GEORGE REYNOLDS
~ Cumorah Is In New York ~

by Don R. Hender

(General Authority - Book of Mormon Scholar)

One of the most long time scholars and authorities on the Book of Mormon is Elder George Reynolds of the Councel of the Seventy. What dedicated Book of Mormon scholar has not used his dictionary and complete concordence in their study of the Book of Mormon? It one fancies themselves a Book of Mormon scholar and does not know of whom Elder George Reynolds is and the endless sacrifice of time he spent on the study of the pages of the Book of Mormon, then they themselves are not what they profess.

"CUMORAH, HILL One of the most noted places in ancient American history was the land in which was situated the hill known to the Jaredites as Ramah, and to the Nephites as Cumorah. In its vicinity two great races were exterminated; for it was there that the last battles were fought in the history of both people. There also the sacred records of the Nephites found their final resting place. When iniquity began to increase in their midst, Ammaron hid the holy things in the hill Shim (A. D. 321). About fifty-five years after (say in A. D. 376) Mormon, seeing that his people were fast melting away before the Lamanites, and fearing that the latter would get possession of the records and destroy them, removed all that had been placed in his care by Ammaron, and afterwards hid up in the hill Cumorah all that had been entrusted to him by the lands of the Lord, save the few plates which he gave to his son Moroni. Moroni after-wards concealed the treasures committed to his keeping in the same hill, where they remained until they were, by Heaven's permission, exhumed and translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith. This hill is situated about three or four miles from Palmyra, in the State of New York."

(George Reynolds, A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon [Salt Lake City: J. H. Parry, 1891], .)

For those who do not know of Elder George Reynolds, have you heard and know of Elder James E. Talmage? Of course Elder Talmage is the wonderous author of such Church texts as 'Jesus the Christ.' And if you know of Elder James E. Talmage and understand how great a scholar Elder Talmge was, then consider this, Elder Talmage would use the works of Elder Reynolds as his mentoring source for his studies of the Book of Mormon in respect to such items as placing the suggested dating footnotes at the bottom of the pages of the Book of Mormon as it is published today.

Those who look for reasons why men think as they do, outside of the individual having a mind of their own, may readily point to the fact that it was George C. Reynolds' daughter Ethel who became Joseph Fielding Smith's second wife after the early death of his first wife in 1908. What if any influence this relationship had on Joseph Fielding Smith's mind and thoughts are merely speculative. Joseph Fielding Smith worked in the Church's Historical Office for years and that would have been his source of his great and vast knowledge and understanding of historical gospel matters. One might just as well point out that Joseph Fielding Smith had appealed to God to aid him in his finding and selecting a mate after the death of his first wife and thus conclude that whatever effect this relationship had upon Joseph Fielding Smith was ordained by the hand of God. Nor do they consider the fact that the relatively young Joseph Fielding Smith had a mind of his own already settled upon the matter (See Joseph Fielding Smith page on this matter, the quote at the bottom of that page.)

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Rev. 8-14-01

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