Erastus Snow — Miraculous translation of the Book of Mormon into Danish (Scandinavian Mission, 1850)

In 1850 Erastus Snow was called to open the Church’s Scandinavian Mission. Despite having no prior knowledge of Danish and facing intense local opposition, Snow — along with Peter O. Hansen and other associates — reported that the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them and enabled them to complete a rapid, faithful translation and publication effort. Sources describe Snow supervising and participating in the translation of the Book of Mormon into Danish (reported as the first foreign-language translation of the Book of Mormon) in record time; some accounts also report that the Doctrine and Covenants and a hymnal were translated in the same early mission effort. The 1850 publication and related missionary labor in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are credited with facilitating rapid growth and the baptism of hundreds of converts. Snow attributed the success not to his own talents but to the power and testimony of the Spirit.