Oliver Cowdery's reiteration of his testimony of the Book of Mormon
Published October 15, 2026 at 3:44 AM
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Millennial Star Research
Jacob F. Gates related a conversation between his father and Oliver Cowdery in which Cowdery reiterated his testimony of the Book of Mormon, stating he knew he had not been deceived.
Fuller account of this event (as retold in Improvement Era, Vol. 15, No. 5 (March 1912), pp. 418-419):
I remember my father, Jacob Gates, telling me of an interview he had with Oliver Cowdery at Council Bluffs, in 1849. My father said to him: 'Oliver, I want to ask you a question. I have heard it said that you were a witness to the Book of Mormon, and that you saw the plates, and that you were a witness to the visitation of the angel, and that you were a witness to the restoration of the Priesthood. I want to know if these things are true.' Oliver Cowdery arose and said: 'Brother Gates, I am glad you asked me that question. I want you to understand that what I have said to you is true. That book was translated by the gift and power of God. I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, 'Interpreters.' I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the holy priesthood. I saw the angel of God, and I heard his voice, and I know that these things are true. I felt the hand of the angel upon my head, and I felt it as plainly as I could feel your hand upon my shoulder.'
In a sworn affidavit dated January 30, 1912, Jacob F. Gates clarified that the meeting took place in Richmond, Missouri, in 1849 while his father, Jacob Gates, was en route to serve a mission in England. Seeking to renew their acquaintance, the elder Gates visited Cowdery in his home. When asked why he had left the Church, Cowdery provided the candid explanation: 'When I left the Church, I felt wicked, I felt like shedding blood, but I have got all over that now.'
In Their Own Words
“To question him thus seemed to touch Oliver very deeply. He answered not a word, but arose from his easy chair, went to the book case, took down a Book of Mormon of the first edition, turned to the testimony of the Three Witnesses, and read in the most solemn manner the words to which he had subscribed his name, nearly twenty years before. Facing my father, he said: 'Jacob, I want you to remember what I say to you. I am a dying man, and what would it profit me to tell you a lie? I know,' said he, 'that this Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. My eyes saw, my ears heard, and my understanding was touched, and I know that whereof I testified is true. It was no dream, no vain imagination of the mind—it was real.' — Affidavit of Jacob F. Gates, January 30, 1912”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), Vol. 75, No. 10 (1913). https://archive.org/details/millennialstar7510eng (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Fuller account: Improvement Era, Vol. 15, No. 5 (March 1912), pp. 418-419 https://scripturecentral.org/archive/periodicals/magazine-article/testimony-jacob-gates Additional sources (periodical research): FAIR Latter-day Saints, Affidavit of Jacob F. Gates, January 30, 1912. https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Oliver_Cowdery:_%22My_eyes_saw,_my_ears_heard...It_was_no_dream,_no_vain_imagination_of_the_mind%E2%80%94it_was_real%22; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020, Appendix C. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-book-of-mormon-2020/appen-c?lang=eng
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