The Book of Mormon

Another Testament of Jesus Christ — the founding scripture of the LDS Restorationist tradition

Tradition: Restorationist Christianity / Latter-day Saint movement

The restored scripture of the ancient American peoples — proof of continuing revelation and the Restoration of the original Church

The Book of Mormon is the founding scripture of the Latter-day Saint movement and (alongside the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) one of the four standard works of the LDS Church. The Mormon account is that Joseph Smith, a young farmer in upstate New York, was visited beginning in 1820 by the Father and the Son and subsequently directed by the angel Moroni to a set of golden plates buried in the Hill Cumorah, inscribed by ancient American prophets in "reformed Egyptian," which Smith translated by inspiration. The narrative traces the religious-historical experience of two Israelite migrations to the Americas (the Lehites c. 600 BCE and the Mulekites and Jaredites earlier), their prophets, their internal religious-political conflicts, the post-resurrection ministry of Christ in the Americas (3 Nephi), and the final destruction of the Nephite civilization by the Lamanites around 400 CE. The book's claim to revealed status founds the LDS doctrine of continuing revelation — the same God who inspired biblical prophets continues to inspire prophets today.