Confounding the Wise

[Mortal Man]

I. Setting the Stage:

According to Joseph Smith's History, on the evening of the 21st of September, 1823, the angel Moroni appeared in his bedroom and told him about the Golden Plates. The angel quoted Isaiah and other prophets, saying that their prophecies were about to be fulfilled. Oliver Cowdery wrote about this visit in a letter to W. W. Phelps, wherein he related that the angel declared he had come