According to Mormon teaching, the golden plates were the record delivered to Joseph Smith by the angel Moroni in 1827. Smith said the plates were inscribed in “reformed Egyptian” and contained the history of ancient peoples in the Americas, including their dealings with God. He claimed to translate the plates by divine power into what became the Book of Mormon.
The plates were eventually taken back by Moroni, according to Smith, and are not available for examination. Because of this, belief in the golden plates rests entirely on Joseph Smith’s testimony and the accounts of a few chosen witnesses.
