“I handed the book to the prophet, and begged him to explain its contents.” — Henry Caswall¹

The Greek Psalter refers to an event in 1842 when Henry Caswall, an Episcopal minister, visited Nauvoo with an ancient Greek manuscript that contained “the Psalms of David, and a few other portions of the Bible.”^2,3 Caswall sought an audience with Joseph Smith to test him and have him prove he was a prophet.³ According to Caswall's account, Joseph Smith misidentified the Greek Psalter as a dictionary of Egyptian hieroglyphics, which Caswall used to ridicule Smith’s prophetic claims.⁴ He later published this account in his anti-Mormon book The City of the Mormons.⁴ The Latter-day Saint newspaper the Times and Seasons later rebutted Caswall's claims; Caswall had come to Nauvoo to have the psalter translated, and though Joseph had treated Caswall with civility, he did not engage with the Greek Psalter.⁵ John Taylor, who was present for Caswall’s visit, later described him as a wicked man who spread falsehoods, and who had come to Nauvoo with bad intentions.⁶

1. Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 35

2. Historical Introduction, Letter from Reuben Hedlock, 16–17 October 1843, josephsmithpapers.org

3. Henry Caswall, Mormonism and Its Author; or, a Statement of the Doctrines of the "Latter-day Saints,” 4-6, bhroberts.org

4. Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 34-37, 41-43, archive.org

5. "Reward of Merit," Times and Seasons, 15 October 1843, 364–365, archive.org

6. John Taylor, Three Nights' public discussion between the Revds. C.W. Cleeve, James Robertson, and Philip Cater, and Elder John Taylor, 5, archive.org