This section covers the items in the “other” category of criticism and evidence of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I chose only a handful of interesting examples. If this section included everything, this letter would be inordinately long. Is anything in this section absolute proof that Joseph was a prophet? Not quite. However, so much of what is in this section goes unnoticed or is disregarded by non-believers. Some of the evidence cited in this section is highly inconvenient for critics.

Enoch

In 1830, Joseph Smith took five verses from the Bible and turned them into 110 verses in Moses 6-7. These 110 verses present serious problems for critics. Moses 6-7 may be the greatest corroborating evidence (beyond the Book of Mormon) of Joseph’s role as a revelator. To an 1830s critic of Joseph Smith, the added scriptures regarding Enoch likely seemed like nonsense or blasphemy—the incoherent ramblings of a delusional fraudster.

Then, various books of Enoch came to light, including the “Dead Sea Scrolls” in the 1940s. The parallels between Joseph’s Enoch and ancient Enochic literature are astounding. ²

What are the odds of Joseph Smith making up the details in Moses that match so much of the Enochic literature?

Why do critics ignore Joseph Smith’s Enoch?

Enoch in the Book of Moses	Enoch in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Moses 6:31 “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” *Note that Joseph Smith uses the word “lad” in no other book of scripture or personal writing.	3 Enoch3 “And because I was the youngest among them and a lad amongst them with respect to days, months, and years, therefore they called me lad.”
Moses 6:34 “Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.” *Note that nowhere in the Bible is there an instance of a river changing course.”	Madaean Enoch4 “The [Supreme] Life replied, Arise, take thy way to the source of the waters, turn it from its course. . . At this command Tavril [the angel speaking to Enoch] indeed turned the pure water from its course.”
Moses 6:38 “There is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.”	Book of Giants5 “The wild man they call [me].”
Moses 6:31 “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” *Note that Joseph Smith uses the word “lad” in no other book of scripture or personal writing.	3 Enoch6 “And because I was the youngest among them and a lad amongst them with respect to days, months, and years, therefore they called me lad.”
Moses 6:34 “Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.” *Note that nowhere in the Bible is there an instance of a river changing course.”	Madaean Enoch7 “The [Supreme] Life replied, Arise, take thy way to the source of the waters, turn it from its course. . . At this command Tavril [the angel speaking to Enoch] indeed turned the pure water from its course.”
Moses 6:38 “There is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.”	Book of Giants8 “The wild man they call [me].”
Moses 6:40 “ there came a man unto him, whose name was Mahijah, and said unto him: Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest?” *Note that Mahijah, the only other named character in the Enoch story of the Book of Moses, is only noted for asking direct questions to Enoch. Moses 7:2 “As I was journeying, and stood upon the place Mahujah, and cried unto the Lord.”	Book of Giants9 The gibborim send one of their fellows named Mahujah to “consult Enoch in order to receive an authoritative interpretation of the visions.” “[Then] all the [gibborim and the nephilim] . . . called to [Mahujah] and he came to them. They implored him and sent him to Enoch, the celebrated scribe and they said to him: “Go. . . and tell him to [explain to you] and interpret the dream. . .”
Moses 6:32 “And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance.”	Madaean Enoch10 “Little Enoch, fear not. You dread the dangers of this world; I am come to you to deliver you from them. Fear not the wicked, and be not afraid that the floods will rise up on your head; for their efforts will be vain: it shall not be given them to do any harm to thee.”
Moses 6:32 “And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance.”	2 Enoch 39:511 “It is not from my own lips that I am reporting to you today, but from the lips of the Lord I have been sent to you. For you hear my words, out of my lips, a human being created exactly equal to yourselves; but I have heard from the fiery lips of the Lord.”
Moses 7:13 “the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness”	Book of Giants12 “the roar of the wild beasts has come and they bellowed a feral roar.”
Moses 6:46 “For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language.”	Book of the Giants13 Correspondingly, in the Book of the Giants, a book in the form of “two stone tablets” is given by Enoch to Mahujah to stand as a witness of “their fallen state and betrayal of their ancient covenants.” Jubilees 10:1714 “For Enoch's office was ordained for a testimony to the generations of the world, so that he should recount all the deeds of generation unto generation, till the day of judgment.”
Moses 6:47 “And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence”	Book of Giants15 The leaders of the mighty warriors “bowed down and wept in front of [Enoch].”
Moses 6:52 “If thou wilt turn unto [God], and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions”	Book of Giants16 “Now, then, unfasten your chains [of sin]. . . and pray.”
Moses 7:38 “But behold, these . . . shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them”	Book of Giants17 “he imprisoned us and has power [ov]er [us].”

The Book of Abraham

¹⁸When criticizing the Book of Abraham, critics focus on the translation method. To this day, critics and apologists debate which parts of the papyri were translated¹⁹, whether it was a translation or a revelation²⁰, and the length of the papyri.²¹ Most of what Egyptologists know today about ancient Egyptians comes from the Eighteenth dynasty around 1500 BC, 1300 years before Joseph Smith’s 200 BC papyri.²²

What is more interesting to me is the actual text itself. Few critics seem to engage with the text of the Book of Abraham. Like Enoch in Moses 6-7, what we’ve learned about Abraham since the 1840s is incredible, considering what Joseph revealed about Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. In Brett McDonald’s YouTube series, “LDS Truth Claims,”²³ he takes two videos to cover the 24 items in the Book of Abraham that Joseph Smith would not know or assume from the Bible or from 1835-1842 resources. These items have later been found or confirmed in other apocryphal sources, like the Book of Jubilees (published in 1850), the Testament of Abraham (published in 1892), and the Apocalypse of Abraham (published in 1897).

Why do critics exclude the text of the Book of Abraham in their criticism of it?

Deuteronomists Reforms

In the Old Testament (2 Kings 22-23), King Josiah instituted several reforms around 620 BC. Non-latter-day saint biblical scholar Margaret Barker highlights the complicated consequences of the reforms.²⁴ King Josiah and his reformers (“The Deuteronomists") changed the Israelite religion and temple worship forever.

In Lehi’s day, the book of Deuteronomy would have been a newer book to him.²⁵ The reforms potentially removed elements from the temple and religion that alluded to a sacrificial Messiah, the divine feminine (the tree of life or menorah), and the destruction of Jerusalem.

How did Joseph Smith understand the complex religious issues in Lehi’s day a generation after the aggressive King Josiah reforms?

Isn’t it interesting that Lehi focuses on the destruction of Jerusalem, the tree of life, and a suffering Messiah? The teachings that had been potentially recently removed from the Israelite religion?

“The original temple tradition was that Yahweh, the Lord, was the Son of the God Most High, and was present on earth as the Messiah. This means that the older religion in Israel would have taught about the Messiah. Thus finding Christ in the Old Testament is exactly what we should expect, though obscured by incorrect reading of the scriptures. This is, I suggest, one aspect of the restoration of 'the plain and precious things, which have been taken away from them' (1 Ne. 13:40).”²⁶ – (emphasis added) Margaret Barker

How did Joseph Smith nail the family dynamic between Lehi/Nephi and Laman/Lemuel? Laman and Lemuel complain about Lehi being a visionary man; then they claim that the Jews in Jerusalem were righteous because they had followed the law. Wouldn’t that be precisely what they would say if they were in the Deuteronomist camp?

How did Joseph Smith guess the tension between the Deuteronomists and the traditionalists like Lehi?

Does this prove the Book of Mormon is an ancient record of people from Jerusalem who left and came to the Americas? It does not. But how did Joseph Smith keep getting these details right decades before scholars knew them?

Sacrifices Outside of Jerusalem

Why does 1^st Nephi talk about offering a sacrifice unto the Lord in the wilderness? Doesn't Deuteronomy 12 state that sacrifices are only offered at the temple?

After the Deuteronomist reforms, sacrifices are only offered at the temple. So it’s curious that Lehi, as soon as he was “three days in the wilderness… built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord.” (1 Nephi 2:6-7; emphasis added) Why would Joseph Smith include this detail?

An ancient document called “The Temple Scroll” was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. It came to light over 100 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon. How crazy is it that the Temple Scroll reiterates that sacrifices outside the temple are allowed if getting back to Jerusalem is more than a three-day journey?

“You shall not slaughter a clean ox or sheep or goat in all your towns, near to my temple (within) a distance of a three days’ journey; nay, but inside my temple you shall slaughter it, making it a burnt offering or a peace offering, and you shall eat and rejoice before me at the place on which I shall choo{se} to put my name.” (11QT 52:13–16; emphasis added)²⁷

How did Joseph Smith figure this out?

Thieves vs. Robbers

In modern English, the words thief and robber are generally used interchangeably. Not so in the ancient Near East. Anciently, there was a significant legal difference between how to handle a thief and a robber.²⁸ In the Book of Mormon era, a thief was someone within the community who stole from his/her neighbor. A thief would be subject to a system of local laws and punishments. By contrast, a robber is an outsider. An outsider may pose a threat to the community. Thus, a robber may require military intervention. The justification for military action is that removing the threat of robbers is better than having them overrun the city or nation.

Isn’t it fascinating that there is a clear distinction between thieves and robbers in the Book of Mormon?

Take a look at the interaction between Laban and the sons of Lehi:

“Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.”- (emphasis added, 1 Nephi 3:13)

By labeling the sons of Lehi as robbers, Laban could take military action against them and slay them. The accusation that they are robbers is deliberate by Laban. At the same time, Laban accelerated his demise by labeling Nephi as a robber and outsider. This could be the reason why the Lord uses the law of the land and Laban’s reasoning to justify Nephi in taking Laban’s life. Laban's behavior leading up to his death put him in the “robbery” camp. The Lord’s statement to Nephi makes Laban an outsider by contrasting him with the ”nation” of Lehi. The Lord tells Nephi, “It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” (emphasis added, 1 Nephi 4:13)

How did Joseph Smith understand ancient Israelite laws regarding thieves vs. robbers?

Land of Jerusalem

In the Bible, Jerusalem is only portrayed as a city. The Book of Mormon references the city and the “land of Jerusalem.” This supposed error made by Joseph Smith drew some criticism at the time. “There is no such land. No part of Palestine bears the name Jerusalem, except the city itself.” (Emphasis added - Origen Bachelor, 1838)²⁹ Since the 1830s, several ancient artifacts³⁰, including the “Amarna Letter” (discovered in 1887) and the “Dead Sea Scrolls” (found in the 1940s), have confirmed that Jerusalem was both a city and a land. “Behold,” wrote Abdi-Ḫeba, “the king [of Egypt] has set his name in the land of Jerusalem for ever; so he cannot abandon the lands of Jerusalem!”³¹ (emphasis added)

Source: Amarna Letter EA 19. Image via Wikipedia.

Tumbaga

A set of pure gold plates the size and dimension of the Book of Mormon plates would have weighed around 100 pounds.³² Yet witnesses who hefted the Book of Mormon plates claim they weighed more like 40 to 60 pounds.³³ Tumbaga is a metal alloy used in ancient South and Central America. It usually consists of copper and gold. Geologist Jerry Grover estimates that tumbaga plates would weigh approximately 54 to 58 pounds.³⁴ Plus, a gold and copper alloy would be easier to write on than soft pure gold.

Source: Evidence Central. Comparison of a tumbaga vessel with a more reddish copper color and a tumbaga bird firgurine with a more golden finish. Featured left: gold and tumbaga vessel from Sicán culture, Peru, 750-1375 Pre-Columbian; Birmingham Museum of Art. Featured right: Pre-Columbian "birdman" made of tumbaga, from the Smithsonian.

Is tumbaga why some witnesses described the plates as having the “appearance of gold?”³⁵ Is tumbaga the reason why William Smith said they were “a mixture of gold and copper?”³⁶

Casting Arrows

The Book of Mormon contains a handful of references to bows and arrows. Nephi breaking his bow is the first example. Curiously, the Book of Mormon sometimes refers to arrows being “shot” and at other times to arrows being “cast” or “thrown.” In Alma 49:

“… Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them.” (verse 4, emphasis added)

“… Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.” (verse 19, emphasis added)

“… but behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrows which were thrown at them.” (verse 22, emphasis added)

Why would Joseph Smith mix the words “thrown” or “cast” into Book of Mormon references to the use of arrows?

Below is an artist's depiction of an ancient American weapon, the atlatl, used in Aztec and Mayan cultures as early as 4000 BC.³⁷

Depiction of an atlatl in use. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Jacob Chapter 5

The longest chapter of the Book of Mormon is an allegory where the Lord of the vineyard tends to his olive tree vineyard. The chapter compares the handling and caring of the orchard to the scattering and gathering of Israel. The description of olive tree maintenance is detailed by an experienced hand.³⁸ Even the areas where the allegory splits from botanical rules are instructive.

When did Joseph Smith become so acquainted with olive tree cultivation that he could make up the allegory? Is there any evidence that he, his family, or his neighbors grew olives in upstate New York or Vermont?

Jacob 5 quotes this allegory from a non-biblical ancient prophet named Zenos. After the publication of the Book of Mormon, critics scorned Joseph Smith for this seemingly made-up story and prophet. No other author in the Bible references the olive tree allegory or the prophet Zenos. Interestingly though, in 1887, scholars discovered an early Christian apocryphal writing called the “Apocalypse of Peter.”³⁹ Some early Christian churches considered it a part of the New Testament scripture.⁴⁰ Below is an excerpt from the “Apocalypse of Peter” in which Peter asks the Lord more about the fig tree that he cursed⁴¹ (in Mark 11:11-21). Hint: Swap out “fig tree” for “olive tree.”

“And I, Peter, answered and said unto him: Interpret unto me concerning the fig-tree, whereby we shall perceive it; for throughout all its days doth the fig-tree send forth shoots, and every year it bringeth forth its fruit for its master. What then meaneth the parable of the fig-tree? We know it not.

And the Master (Lord) answered and said unto me: Understandest thou not that the fig-tree is the house of Israel? Even as a man that planted a fig-tree in his garden, and it brought forth no fruit. And he sought the fruit thereof many years and when he found it not, he said to the keeper of his garden: Root up this fig-tree that it make not our ground to be unfruitful. And the gardener said unto God: (Suffer us) to rid it of weeds and dig the ground round about it and water it. If then it bear not fruit, we will straightway remove its roots out of the garden and plant another in place of it. Hast thou not understood that the fig-tree is the house of Israel?” (emphasis added)

Guerilla Warfare

Daniel Peterson identifies the authenticity of guerilla warfare in the Book of Mormon in his 1990 book, Warfare in the Book of Mormon.⁴² Combat depicted in the Book of Mormon differs significantly from the type of warfare familiar to Joseph Smith. Only a couple of generations removed from the Revolutionary War, Joseph seems to romanticize the formality of warfare typical in the late 18^th to early 19th-century era. Namely, two opposing armies in official uniforms. The Book of Mormon, however, accurately depicts genuine guerrilla warfare. Book of Mormon warfare “operates on the principles of stealth, surprise, hidden base camps, small-scale skirmishes, strategic retreats, favorable terrain, and subversive propaganda.”⁴³

How did Joseph Smith think of the authentic warfare tactics of the Gadianton robbers? Is there any evidence that he was familiar with different types of warfare?

Ether’s Genealogy

We learn from several witnesses that Joseph Smith had no manuscript or sources while translating the Book of Mormon. Emma Smith said, “After meals, or after interruptions, [Joseph] would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do.”⁴⁴ (emphasis added)

How did Joseph Smith remember a list of 30 Jaredite Kings/names in the Book of Ether (chapter 1) and then remember to discuss each king/name in reverse order in Ether 6-11?

Isn't this feat incredible if Joseph Smith was making up the Book of Mormon off the top of his head?

Infographic by Book of Mormon Central on Evidence Central

100 Different Names for Christ

The Book of Mormon contains at least 100 different names and titles for Jesus Christ.⁴⁵ How did Joseph Smith do that? Isn’t the variety and how the names are woven into the text incredibly impressive for someone making up a book on the spot? Susan Black illustrated the variety in a 1978 Ensign article, which I’ve recreated below:

Source: Black, Susan. “Names of Christ in the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, Vol. 8. No. 7 1978:60-61

A Book About Actual Events

One of the most compelling aspects of the Book of Mormon is that it reads like a book about things that happened in real life—not a story in the mind of inexperienced 23-year-old Joseph Smith.

In the journey to the promised land, the daughters of Ishmael waver after their father, Ishmael, dies (1 Nephi 16:35). Sariah wavers when she thinks her sons are dead (1 Nephi 5:1). Lehi falters when he, the patriarch of the family, is unable to provide for them (1 Nephi 16:20). Don't these examples and many others ring true to how family dynamics and faith work in real life?

Isn’t it interesting that when Nephi’s steel bow breaks, he does not use his old arrows with his wood bow? He makes an arrow from the same wood as his new bow (1 Nephi 16:23). Anyone unfamiliar with archery would not include that tidbit.⁴⁶ However, including that subtle detail hints that this is a recorded event. Nephi’s arrows from his steel bow would not have been suitable for his wood bow.

Conclusion of “How Did Joseph Smith Know?”

In my opinion, no one item listed above (and many more unlisted) proves Joseph Smith's claims of divine intervention. However, Joseph's ministry becomes more unbelievable in a natural sense when triangulating the affirmative signs. I’ve grown surprised at how the critical community widely ignores items like Enochic literature, Jaredite kings, the land of Jerusalem, and sacrifices allowed three days out from the temple. I kept getting the nagging feeling they were looking for ways to doubt instead of looking at the whole picture.

There are plenty of reasons to question the restoration's truth claims. That said, it is also true that simply writing off the faith-promoting elements is not becoming of a light and truth seeker.

Footnotes

1. Bloom, Harold. “The American Religion.” Chu Hartley Pub Llc, January 1, 2006,

   9780978721008 (ISBN10: 0978721004), pg 82, 84 ↩

2. Bradshaw, Jeffrey. “Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry.” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 48 (2021): 95-312, https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/moses-6-7-and-the-book-of-giants-remarkable-witnesses-of-enochs-ministry/ ↩

3. Anderson, G.A. “Exaltation.” Translation of 3 Enoch 4:10 by Anderson, page 107 ↩

4. Migne, Jacques P. “Livre d’Adam,” in Dictionnaire des Apocryphes (Paris: Migne, 1856), 21, p. 169. ↩

5. Parry 2013, 4Q531, frg. 22, l. 3–8, p. 959; emphasis added; see Stuckenbruck 1997, pp. 161–67; Reeves 1992, pp. 118–22; Angel 2016, pp. 66–68) ↩

6. Anderson, G.A. “Exaltation.” Translation of 3 Enoch 4:10 by Anderson, page 107 ↩

7. Migne, Jacques P. “Livre d’Adam,” in Dictionnaire des Apocryphes (Paris: Migne, 1856), 21, p. 169. ↩

8. Parry 2013, 4Q531, frg. 22, l. 3–8, p. 959; emphasis added; see Stuckenbruck 1997, pp. 161–67; Reeves 1992, pp. 118–22; Angel 2016, pp. 66–68) ↩

9. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 261. ↩

10. Migne, Jacques P. “Livre d’Adam,” in Dictionnaire des Apocryphes (Paris: Migne, 1856), 21, p. 167. ↩

11. Andersen, F. I. “2 (Slavonic Apocalypse of) Enoch.” In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, edited by James H. Charlesworth. 2 vols. Vol. 1, 91-221. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1983, pg 162 ↩

12. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 262. ↩

13. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 260-261. ↩

14. “The Book of Jubilees,” Pseudepigrapha.com, accessed on May 25, 2024 from http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/10.htm ↩

15. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 260. ↩

16. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 261. ↩

17. Martinez, F.G., “Book of Giants” (4Q530), 2:20-23, p. 261. ↩

18. A lot more can be said on this subject than what I’ve dedicated in this letter. For more resources, visit:

    “Book of Abraham Insights,” Pearl of Great Price Central, accessed on June 4, 2024 from https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/category/book-of-abraham/ ↩

19. Kuhlestein, Kerry. “The Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith, Revelation, and You,” BYU Hawaii Devotionals, November 12, 2013, https://speeches.byuh.edu/joseph-smith-lecture/the-book-of-abraham-joseph-smith-revelation-and-you ↩

20. “How Did Joseph Smith Translate the Book of Abraham?” Pearl of Great Price Central, Abraham Insight #39, January 30^th 2020, https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/how-did-joseph-smith-translate-the-book-of-abraham/ ↩

21. Gee, John (2008) "Some Puzzles from the Joseph Smith Papyri," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 20: No. 1, Article 11, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol20/iss1/11/

    Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol20/iss1/11 ↩

22. Muhlestein, Kerry. “Egyptian Papyri and the Book of Abraham: A Faithful, Egyptological Point of View,” in No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues, ed. Robert L. Millet (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 217–43, https://rsc.byu.edu/no-weapon-shall-prosper/egyptian-papyri-book-abraham ↩

23. “LDS Truth Claims 20: Book of Mormon Review; Abraham Part I (links below!)” YouTube, uploaded by LDS Truth Claims, April 8, 2017, https://youtu.be/o8KRay7kV9k?si=JXZkBhgGuJN_5u17

    “LDS Truth Claims 21: The Book of Abraham,” YouTube, uploaded by LDS Truth Claims, April 15, 2017, https://youtu.be/xPPH2G6-aGE?si=FKoVyMduJcOdACgy ↩

24. Barker, Margaret. “The Great High Priest: The Temple Roots of Christian Liturgy” (London: Clark, 2003) ↩

25. Christensen, Kevin. "The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 16 : No. 2 , Article 5, 2004, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol16/iss2/5 ↩

26. Barker, Margaret. “Joseph Smith and Preexilic Israelite Religion,” BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol 44, No. 4 (2005), pp. 69-82, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/Margaret%20Barker%2C%20Joseph%20Smith%20and%20Preexilic%20Israelite%20Religion%2C%202005.pdf ↩

27. Seely, David. “Lehi’s Altar and Sacrifice in the Wilderness.” 68, citing Translations of the Temple Scroll from Yigael Yadin, The Temple Scroll (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1983), https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/lehi%E2%80%99s-altar-and-sacrifice-wilderness ↩

28. Welch, John and Kelly Ward, Kelly. “Thieves and Robbers,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), 248–249, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/all/libraries/pdf.js/web/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.bookofmormoncentral.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Freexploring_72\_-\_thieves_and_robbers.pdf#page=2&zoom=90,24,735 ↩

29. Bacheler, Origen. “Mormonism Exposed Internally and Externally.” (New York, NY: 1838), 14. ↩

30. “Book of Mormon Evidence: Land of Jerusalem.” Evidence Central, Evidence Data #0079, September 19, 2020, https://evidencecentral.org/recency/evidence/land-of-jerusalem ↩

31. Albright, “The Amarna Letters,” 438, emphasis added. See also Rainey, El-Amarna Correspondence, 1113: “Look, the king has established his name in the land of Jerusalem forever and he simply cannot abandon it, viz. the city state of Jerusalem.” William L. Moran, ed. and trans., “The Amarna Letters.” (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992), 328: “As the king has placed his name in Jerusalem forever, he cannot abandon it—the land of Jerusalem.” ↩

32. Putnam, Read. “Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga?” Improvement Era, vol 69, issue 9, 1966, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/were-golden-plates-made-tumbaga ↩

33. Heinrichsen, Kirk. “How Witnesses Described the ‘Gold Plates’.” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol 10, issue 1, pg 16-21, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/how-witnesses-described-%E2%80%9Cgold-plates%E2%80%9D ↩

34. Grover Jr, Jerry., Ziff, Magic Goggles, and Golden Plates: The Etymology of Zyf and a Metallurgical Analysis of the Book of Mormon Plates (Provo, UT: Grover Publishing, 2015), 92, 95. ↩

35. Putnam, Read. “Were the Golden Plates Made of Tumbaga?” Improvement Era, vol 69, issue 9, 1966, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/were-golden-plates-made-tumbaga ↩

36. William Smith interview, The Saints’ Herald, 4 October 1884, 644; as cited in Henrichsen, ““How Witnesses Described the ‘Gold Plates’,” 17. ↩

37. “Book of Mormon Evidence: Javelins.” Evidence Central, evidence data #0180, April 5^th 2021, https://evidencecentral.org/recency/evidence/javelins ↩

38. Hess, Wilford. “Botanical Comparisons in the Allegory of the Olive Tree.” The Book of Mormon: Jacob through Words of Mormon, To Learn with Joy, eds. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr., (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1990), 87–102, https://rsc.byu.edu/book-mormon-jacob-through-words-mormon-learn-joy/botanical-comparisons-allegory-olive-tree ↩

39. Ehrman, Bart. “Lost Scriptures, Books That Did Not Make It Into the New Testament”, Oxford Unversity Press. 2003. https://palimpsest.stmarytx.edu/thanneken/th7391/primary/Ehrman(2003)LostScriptures-ApocalypsePeter.pdf ↩

40. Ehrman, Bart. “Lost Scriptures, Books That Did Not Make It Into the New Testament”, Oxford Unversity Press. 2003. https://palimpsest.stmarytx.edu/thanneken/th7391/primary/Ehrman(2003)LostScriptures-ApocalypsePeter.pdf ↩

41. “Apocalypse of Peter” in the Apocryphal New Testament, M.R. James-Translation and Notes Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924 ↩

42. Peterson, Daniel. “Warfare in the Book of Mormon.” (Provo, Utah/Salt Lake City, Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1990), 146-173, also available at https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/peterson/2021-07-12/09_daniel_c.\_peterson_the_gadianton_robbers_as_guerilla_warriors_146-173.pdf ↩

43. “Book of Mormon Evidence: Guerrilla Warfare.” Evidence Central, September 20, 2020, https://evidencecentral.org/recency/evidence/guerrilla-warfare ↩

44. Smith III, Joseph. “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” The Saints’ Herald, 1 October 1879, 290. ↩

45. “Book of Mormon Evidence: Names of Christ.” Evidence Central, evidence #0177, 4/5/2021, https://evidencecentral.org/recency/evidence/names-of-christ ↩

46. Fox, David in a letter to F.A.R.M.S as quoted in Nephi's steel bow in the Book of Mormon, FAIR Latter-day Saints, https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/evidences/Category:Book_of_Mormon/Metals/Steel/Nephi%27s_steel_bow ↩