Cracking The Code: Tracing Book of Mormon Origins

Radio Free Mormon

[Mormonism Live 225] What if one of the most foundational parts of the Book of Mormon wasn’t ancient at all—but lifted from a 19th-century Methodist Bible commentary? In this episode, Mormonism Live dives into what may be the most significant academic finding in Mormon studies in decades: compelling evidence that Joseph Smith used Adam Clarke’s biblical commentary—a massive, scholarly work from the early 1800s—as a source while “translating” Isaiah into the Book of Mormon. Based on Colby Townsend’s stunning new paper, we break down direct textual connections, show how Smith edited Isaiah using Clarke’s scholarly notes, and explore what this means for the Church’s truth claims, the notion of “translation,” and the very origin story of the Book of Mormon. This episode could change the conversation around Joseph Smith’s methods forever. Don’t miss this deep dive into what looks like the scholarly smoking gun behind one of Mormonism’s sacred texts.
RESOURCE:
Colby Townsend’s Paper – https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jbr-2024-0001/html
Interview with Haley Lemmon Wilson https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2018/05/haley-lemmon-joseph-smith-translation-revelation-plagiarism
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