A Mesoamerican Urim and Thummim: The Authentic Book of Mormon: A Study and Faith Series Vol. 3

What were the Nephite Interpreters?

Michael R. Ash argues that they were probably similar to the diving stones and mirrors used by Mesoamerican shamans. Ash suggests three possible gemstone candidates and proposes that they represented the ying and yang of Mesoamerican complementary opposites. Like the “bundling” of sacred Mesoamerican divining gemstones, the Interpreters were symbolically “bundled” in Moroni’s stone box until the plates were “unsealed” and Joseph unleashed their restorative powers through translation.