In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Quinten Barney, whose master's thesis at BYU represents the most thorough comparative study of Facsimile 3 ever conducted. Barney has examined every known copy of the Book of Breathings (only 33 exist in the world) to see whether Facsimile 3 really matches the standard Egyptian corpus, and the results are striking.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Why Facsimile 3 has been the most neglected of the three facsimiles and what that means for the current debate.
• The significant differences between Facsimile 3 and the judgment scene from the Book of the Dead (chapter 125) that most critics compare it to.
• Why the identification of the figure as Anubis has real Egyptological problems, including missing hieroglyphs, wrong clothing, wrong posture, and a missing headdress.
• How Joseph Smith's identification of "Isis as Pharaoh" actually has grounds in the Greco-Roman Egyptian evidence.
• Why only two Egyptologists have ever attempted to fully translate the hieroglyphic captions (Robert Ritner and Michael Rhodes) and what their translations disagree on.
• The unique presence of stars above the figures in Facsimile 3 — a feature not found in any other Book of Breathings vignette — and how it ties to the astronomy theme.
• The more than half dozen ancient extra-biblical sources describing Abraham teaching astronomy to Egyptians, most of which were unavailable to Joseph Smith.
• Why the possible role of W.W. Phelps as editor matters for understanding the published explanations.

Quinten Barney's thesis is available free as a PDF from the BYU Scholars Archive for readers who want to go deeper into the technical details.

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7598/

If you think Facsimile 3 has already been "solved" by Egyptologists, this episode will challenge that assumption with the receipts to back it up.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Further Readings:

Quinten Barney's Master's Thesis (Free PDF Download) https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7598/ 

Gustav Seyffarth Description of Joseph Smith Papyri at St. Louis Museum (1856) https://bhroberts.org/records/0ueBOW-0Wur88/gs_mentions_js_papyri_in_st_louis_museum_describes_them_and_their_content

Michael Rhodes, "Facsimiles from the Book of Abraham," Encyclopedia of Mormonism https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5528

The Egyptian Book of the Dead Overview https://exploreluxor.org/egyptian-book-of-the-dead/

John Gee, "Facsimile 3 and Book of the Dead 125" https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/facsimile-3-and-book-dead-125

"Isis the Pharaoh: Facsimile 3, Figure 2," BYU Studies https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/isis-the-pharaoh-facsimile-3-figure-2

Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos A, Joseph Smith Papers

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Quinten Barney on Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham
• (00:01:35) - Why Facsimile 3 is so important
• (00:05:04) - The Book of the Dead: Facsimile 3
• (00:07:59) - The Book of Breathings
• (00:12:16) - Is Isis the Author of the Book of Abraham?
• (00:17:54) - Joseph Smith's Egyptian Explanations in The Times of Comics
• (00:22:17) - Anubis in the Book of Mormon
• (00:25:24) - Anubis in the Book of Breathings
• (00:30:32) - Anubis in the Book of Breathings
• (00:32:51) - Is the Book of Breathing Anubis?
• (00:34:16) - What Does Facsimile 3 Mean for Egypt?

In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Josh Gailey, an ordained evangelist in the Church of Jesus Christ (headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania) and author of "Witnessing Miracles: Historical Evidence for the Resurrection and Book of Mormon."

Josh applies the minimal facts argument pioneered by Gary Habermas of Liberty University to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The result is a rigorous historical case that treats the stone box in the Hill Cumorah as the "empty tomb" of the Book of Mormon — an observable historical artifact that locals, enemies, and unlikely witnesses all confirmed.

In this conversation, we cover:

• The PET analysis for historical claims: Proximity, Enemies, and Unlikely Testimonies.
• Why Lorenzo Saunders, a lifelong critic of Joseph Smith, accidentally corroborated the 1823 excavation.
• How Josiah Stowell's courtroom testimony gives us a physical description of the plates.
• The 16 historical sources describing the hole in the hill on the west side of Cumorah.
• Why the Three Witnesses' independent attestation of the angel and the plates is historically significant.
• How Isaac Hale, Martin Harris, Emma Smith, and others interacted with the plates as unlikely witnesses.
• Why the attempts of Palmyra money diggers to steal the plates function as enemy attestation.
• The problems with the "ten plates" theory and other alternative explanations.

If you take the Resurrection seriously on historical grounds, this episode argues you have every reason to take the gold plates seriously on the same grounds.

Josh Gailey's book "Witnessing Miracles" and his companion article in the new FAIR volume "Defending the Book of Mormon" are both available for readers who want to go deeper.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Further Readings:

https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/witnessing-miracles-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-and-book-of-mormon/

https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Book-Mormon-Proceedings-Conference/dp/B0FWH1TCJB

https://www.bookofmormonhistory.com/

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/a-new-look-at-the-miracles-of-the-resurrection-and-the-book-of-mormon/

https://ses.edu/minimal-facts-on-the-resurrection-that-even-skeptics-accept/

https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-empty-stone-box

https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/stone-box-in-new-york

https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/other-witnesses/josiah-stowell/statements/

https://scripturecentral.org/evidence/book-of-mormon-evidence-composition-of-the-plates

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Witnessing Miracles, Historical Evidence for the Resurrection and Book of
• (00:01:01) - Bookmark 10: The Resurrection and the Book of Mormon
• (00:05:58) - The Minimal Facts Argument
• (00:10:28) - Unlikely Witnesses to the Resurrection
• (00:12:45) - Basic Facts of the Book of Mormon
• (00:18:37) - The Real Story of the Book of Mormon
• (00:24:30) - The Empty Tomb and Proximity
• (00:25:46) - Stone Box and the Israelites
• (00:31:08) - Incomical testimonies of the Golden plates
• (00:33:13) - Josiah Testifies in the Gold Plates Case
• (00:35:32) - Edward Stevenson and David Whitmer
• (00:37:57) - Lorenzo Saunders on the Hole in the Hill
• (00:44:30) - Printing Plates: Bring It On
• (00:44:50) - Josh on the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection

Guest: Dr. Daniel C. Peterson — scholar of Islamic and Latter-day Saint studies, professor at Brigham Young University, and executive producer of the Becoming Brigham documentary series.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

— Sources Mentioned in This Episode —

Becoming Brigham Documentary Series https://becomingbrigham.com/

Becoming Brigham YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@BecomingBrigham

The Brigham Young Journals, Volume 1 (RSC/BYU Press) https://rsc.byu.edu/book/brigham-young-journals

This Abominable Slavery by W. Paul Reeve, Christopher B. Rich Jr., and LaJean Purcell Carruth https://global.oup.com/academic/product/this-abominable-slavery-9780197765029

This Abominable Slavery Digital Database https://thisabominableslavery.org

Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass by Hugh Nibley https://www.amazon.com/Tinkling-Cymbals-Sounding-Brass-Collected/dp/0875795161

Sounding Brass (BYU Nibley Collection) https://nibley.lib.byu.edu/1949/01/02/sounding-brass/

"Death to Seducers!" by Craig L. Foster (Interpreter) https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/death-to-seducers-examples-of-latter-day-saint-led-extralegal-justice-in-historical-context/

Journal of Discourses (Church Gospel Topics) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/journal-of-discourses

Journal of Discourses (BYU Digital Collections) https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3/id/9599/

Journal of Discourses (Searchable) https://journalofdiscourses.com/

Six Days in August (Interpreter Foundation Film) https://interpreterfoundation.org/six-days-in-august/

— Additional Recommended Reading —

Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington https://www.amazon.com/Brigham-Young-American-Leonard-Arrington/dp/0252012968

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet by John G. Turner https://www.amazon.com/Brigham-Young-Pioneer-Prophet/...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Daniel C. Peterson on His New Book on Brigham Young
• (00:05:56) - What is the Truth about Brigham Young and His Practice of Polygy
• (00:10:56) - Richard Britain on Middle Eastern Polygyny
• (00:12:15) - A Lesson on Brigham Young
• (00:17:04) - Neither Brigham Young nor the Mountain Meadows Massacre
• (00:18:46) - Brigham Young: On the Murder of Joseph Smith
• (00:24:44) - The Mean, Nasty Brigham Young
• (00:29:17) - Utah's violence under Brigham Young
• (00:34:41) - A Lesson on Brigham Young

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by: The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

https://ancientamerica.org/

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#lds #mormon #livestream #churchofjesuschrist

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - General Conference
• (00:01:17) - General Conference 2017: New Callings and Record Breaking Baptisms
• (00:05:52) - Conference 2017: Convert baptisms break record
• (00:07:40) - Convert baptisms: Third Year in a Row
• (00:09:37) - Mormon Church Membership: 900,000 Converts Join the Church
• (00:17:21) - Disaffiliation is not a sign of weakness, says Peter
• (00:17:45) - Is the Internet Killing the Church of Jesus Christ
• (00:22:18) - The Sustaining Process
• (00:27:28) - Sustaining and Opposing the Marriage Process
• (00:30:18) - The Title Cards at Conference
• (00:31:35) - General Conference 2017
• (00:32:29) - President Uchtdorf
• (00:36:22) - President Uchtdorf on the Spiritually Speaking Statement
• (00:41:23) - Spiritual Eyes is based on missionary discussions
• (00:41:50) - Favorite talks of Conference
• (00:44:36) - The Character of Peter
• (00:48:13) - The Courage of Elder Mutombo Mumbo
• (00:49:42) - Mormon Conference 2017: On Marriage
• (00:50:57) - General Conference 2017: Cultural traditions and the test of faith
• (00:54:06) - President Oaks' Address on the Universal Resurrection
• (00:57:01) - Oakes Talk on Grace and the Kingdom of God
• (00:58:31) - President Oaks: Our Culture is Toxic
• (01:04:15) - God's counsel for peacemakers
• (01:05:12) - General Conference 2013

The archaeology changes everything.

Most people picture Jesus kneeling beside a rock in a peaceful grove of olive trees. But the word “Gethsemane” literally means “oil press” — and archaeology now shows that ancient oil press facilities were housed inside caves and grottos, not open fields.

In this episode of Informed Saints, BYU professor and archaeologist Matthew Gray walks us through what a 1st-century Gethsemane actually looked like, what the 1950s excavation of the grotto on the Mount of Olives uncovered, and how each Gospel writer — Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John — frames Jesus’s experience there differently.

We also explore how Luke’s “agony” language may actually evoke athletic imagery rather than suffering, how the Latter-day Saint emphasis on Gethsemane developed primarily in the 1980s, and how understanding the oil press process opens up powerful new symbolism for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Guest: Matthew Grey, BYU Professor of Ancient Scripture

Shout out to Messages of Christ for their visual reconstruction of the Gethsemane grotto:

https://youtu.be/F_Yl87PzTKM?si=JX6yQxrc-UJ1Zp_5

https://youtu.be/7VaBzEb34FQ?si=s4aVk3HB93jGD2JH

https://youtu.be/XefTby7Cj0Y?si=C4BP4KKQekOwvvYj

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

SUBSCRIBE for more scholarly explorations of scripture and history.

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES

Matthew J. Grey and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel — A Place Called Gethsemane: Seeing the New Testament Story and Site in Its First-Century Context

Deseret Book: https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6074789.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Place-Called-Gethsemane-Testament-First-Century/dp/1639934022

Matthew J. Grey — “What Was Gethsemane Like in Jesus’s Time?” (interview and 3D reconstruction overview)

https://www.fromthedesk.org/gethsemane-in-jesus-time-archaeology-history/

Joan E. Taylor — “The Garden of Gethsemane: Not the Place of Jesus’ Arrest” (Biblical Archaeology Review, 1995)

https://library.biblicalarchaeology.org/article/the-garden-of-gethsemane-not-the-place-of-jesus-arrest/

Joan E. Taylor — Christians and the Holy Places: The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins (Oxford University Press)

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/christians-and-the-holy-places-9780198147855

Virgilio Corbo — Ricerche Archeologiche al Monte degli Ulivi (1965 excavation report, in Italian)

https://www.tsedizioni.it/shop/ricerche-archeologiche-al-monte-degli-ulivi/?lng=en

Truman G. Madsen — “The Olive Press” (BYU Fireside, May 9, 1982)

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/truman-g-madsen/olive-press/

Truman G. Madsen — “The Olive Press: A Symbol of Christ” (chapter in The Allegory of the Olive Tree)

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/olive-press-symbol-christ

John Hilton III — Considering the Cross: How Calvary Connects Us with Christ

https://www.amazon.com/Considering-Cross-Calvary-Connects-Christ/dp/1629728713

John Hilton III — “Joseph Smith, Gethsemane, and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ” (BYU Scholars Archive)

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/4657/

John Hilton III — “Teaching...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Secret to The Garden of Gethsemane
• (00:03:28) - The Garden of Gethsemane
• (00:06:45) - The Archaeology of Gethsemane
• (00:13:35) - The mystery of Jesus' Gethsemane
• (00:19:05) - The Olives of the Mount
• (00:24:57) - The Last Supper and Luke
• (00:28:45) - Luke's Oil Press Image
• (00:34:59) - The Gethsemane, the Tomb and Holy Week

In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot break down the documentary hypothesis, source criticism, and the dating of the Pentateuch—and explain why the so-called “consensus” isn’t as settled as Wikipedia makes it sound. Drawing on the research of scholars like Richard Elliott Friedman, Jacob Milgrom, Menahem Haran, and William Schniedewind, they show that a proto-Torah existing by Lehi’s time is far more plausible than critics admit.

We also explore:

• What the J, E, D, and P sources actually are (and why no one agrees anymore)
• Why archaeology and historical linguistics challenge the late dating of the priestly source
• How the tabernacle traditions connect to Bronze Age Egypt
• Why Nephi’s “five books of Moses” may not have looked like our Bible today
• The case for Moses as an originator—not necessarily the “author”—of the Pentateuch
• How the brass plates may preserve lost Northern Kingdom traditions

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Neal’s full paper is available in “Open Thou Mine Eyes: Defending the Old Testament and Latter-day Saint Doctrine” published by FAIR.

https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/open-thou-mine-eyes-defending-the-old-testament-in-latter-day-saint-doctrine/

Further Resources:

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/king-benjamins-speech-context-ancient-israelite-festivals

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-did-the-nephites-stay-in-their-tents-during-king-benjamins-speech

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/abinadi-andpentecost

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/media/chart/did-abinadi-prophesy-against-king-noah-pentecost

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/did-abinadi-prophesy-during-pentecost

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/the-sonsofthepassover

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/were-nephite-prophets-familiar-with-the-passover-tradition

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/did-alma-counsel-his-sons-during-the-passover

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-tabernacle-in-its-ancient-near-eastern-context

http://www.sofiatopia.org/maat/shabaka_stone.htm

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-brass-plates-can-modern-scholar...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Informed Saints: The Five Books of Moses
• (00:00:31) - The 5 Books of Moses in the Book of Mormon
• (00:05:36) - Source Criticism of the Pentateuch
• (00:10:03) - The Four Source Hypothesis
• (00:14:57) - The Book of Mormon: The P and JSources
• (00:16:38) - The documentary hypothesis and the priestly source
• (00:24:15) - The Book of Mormon: A Proto-Israelic Torah
• (00:29:38) - Where Does Moses Fit Into the Book of Mormon?
• (00:37:11) - Latter Day Saint History and Histiography

In this episode of Informed Saints, we sit down with Professor Matthew L. Bowen at BYU–Hawaii to explore the fascinating world of Book of Mormon onomastics (the study of names). Prof. Bowen reveals how names like Alma are attested as ancient male Semitic names, how Nephi derives from the Egyptian word "nefer" meaning "good" or "fair," and how the Book of Mormon authors appear to deliberately play on the meanings of these names throughout the text.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Further Readings:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1986/10/i-have-a-question/is-the-writing-in-the-book-of-mormon-characteristic-of-the-hebrew-language?lang=eng

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/insights/vol30/iss4/3/

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/periodicals/journal-article/personal-name-alma-ebla

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1192&context=jbms

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/more-evidence-for-alma-as-a-semitic-name

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/alma-young-man-hidden-prophet

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/he-did-go-about-secretly-additional-thoughts-on-the-literary-use-of-almas-name

https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/2026-small-plates-of-nephi-conference

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/revisiting-sariah-at-elephantine

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/father-is-a-man-the-remarkable-mention-of-the-name-abish-in-alma-1916-and-its-narrative-context

https://www.learner.org/series/art-through-time-a-global-view/dreams-and-visions/lintel-25-of-yaxchilan-structure-23/

https://smarthistory.org/yaxchilan-lintels/

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-19-no-1-2018/abish-theophanies-first-lamani...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Book of Mormon Names
• (00:01:02) - Meet Matt Bowen
• (00:04:28) - Book of Mormon Names
• (00:10:00) - Alma the Latter-Day Saint
• (00:13:38) - Alma the Hidden Person
• (00:18:55) - The Name Abish in the Book of Mormon
• (00:24:28) - Other Egyptian Names in the Bible
• (00:28:22) - The Name Nephi
• (00:36:06) - Mormon King Benjamin's Enthronement
• (00:39:33) - Undoing the Names in the Book of Mormon
• (00:44:43) - Other Hebrew Names in the Book of Mormon
• (00:48:49) - Informed Saints: Ancient Names in the Book of Mormon

We break down what View of the Hebrews actually is, why critics compare it to the Book of Mormon, where the plagiarism theory came from, and whether the supposed parallels are truly compelling. We also look at issues like Oliver Cowdery, Ethan Smith, B.H. Roberts, Fawn Brodie, the CES Letter claims, and whether there is any real evidence of direct borrowing.

If you’ve heard the claim that Joseph Smith copied from View of the Hebrews, this episode gives historical context, textual analysis, and a clear response to one of the most repeated arguments against the Book of Mormon. 

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Show Notes and Further Sources:

https://mormonr.org/qnas/vFzgdj/the_book_of_mormon_and_view_of_the_hebrews

https://archive.org/details/adissertationon01smitgoog/page/n6/mode/1up

https://bhroberts.org/records/0rGxg3-bStRSd/s_w_l_scott_reports_on_debate_where_view_of_the_hebrews_was_claimed_to_be_a_source_of_plagiarism_for_the_book_of_mormon

https://bhroberts.org/records/8Lyyfk-vrdPjg/fawn_brodie_argues_that_voth_was_a_source_of_inspiration_for_joseph_smith

https://mormonr.org/qnas/sk58P/b_h_roberts_testimony

https://bhroberts.org/records/8Lyyfk-b4jsdk/richard_s_van_wagoner_speculates_that_oliver_cowdery_provided_js_with_voth_and_may_have_helped_print_the_book

https://bhroberts.org/records/jpNwrg-R4Fwqg/john_l_brooke_postulates_a_connection_between_ethan_smith_and_oliver_cowdery

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol39/iss1/7/

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book/view-hebrews-1825-2nd-edition

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/presentations/report/finding-answers-bh-robertss-questions-and-unparallel

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V20N01_68.pdf

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=msr

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Placed in the Book of Mormon: View of the Hebrews
• (00:04:23) - View of the Hebrews in the Book of Mormon
• (00:09:56) - The Platooning Theory in the Book of Mormon
• (00:14:58) - B.H. Roberts and the Book of Mormon
• (00:19:21) - Ethan and Ether: Parallel Mania
• (00:23:06) - Plural Legends in the Book of Mormon
• (00:27:48) - Ethan Smith and Oliver Cowdery
• (00:33:03) - Oliver Cowdery: The Missing Link in the Book of
• (00:37:55) - View of the Hebrews: The Book of Mormon Conspiracy

If you’ve only heard the simplified version, this episode is for you—full story, better questions, and a clearer framework for thinking about a complex historical issue. 

This segment is taken from a full episode we have published previously with Kerry and hope you enjoy this bonus segment!

https://youtu.be/RSI7knxTAqc

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Watch, share, and tell us what stood out most.

Further Readings:

Gospel Topics Essay (Official): “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng

•Joseph Smith Papers (Official hub): “Book of Abraham and Egyptian Material” 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/book-of-abraham-and-egyptian-material

•Joseph Smith Papers (Primary documents context): “Introduction to Egyptian Papyri, circa 300–100 BC” 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/introduction-to-egyptian-papyri-circa-300-100-bc/1

•Joseph Smith Papers (Publication history): “Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 March–16 May 1842” 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-abraham-and-facsimiles-1-march-16-may-1842

•BYU Religious Studies Center: “Joseph Smith and the Papyri” (Intro volume page) 

https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/joseph-smith-papyri

•BYU Religious Studies Center: “Relationship of the Book of Abraham Text to the Papyri” 

https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/relationship-book-abraham-text-papyri

•BYU Studies Quarterly: “The Relationship Between the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri” 

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-relationship-between-the-book-of-abraham-and-the-joseph-smith-papyri

•Pearl of Great Price Central: “What Egyptian Papyri Did Joseph Smith Possess?” 

https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/what-egyptian-papyri-did-joseph-smith-possess/

•Pearl of Great Price Central: “The Relationship Between the Book...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - What is the Dark Secret of the Book of Abraham?
• (00:03:00) - The Book of Abraham: An Allegation or Proof?
• (00:05:49) - Book of Abraham and the Book of Mormon
• (00:07:32) - Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham
• (00:13:08) - The Mormon Church Admits the Book of Abraham Is False

We break down the dimensions, weight, thickness, rings, sealed portion, engravings, and appearance of the plates, and then explore whether a natural explanation really fits the data. We also tackle the “plate math” question: Could the full Book of Mormon text (including the lost 116 pages) realistically fit on the plates?

Along the way, we discuss:

•Witness descriptions of the plates

•Why “just use tin/brass/printing plates” doesn’t fully match the evidence

•Translation density and how ancient scripts compare to English

•Character size, compact writing, and ancient metal inscriptions

•Why critics and believers alike should use the right parameters

This is a thoughtful response to the claim that “gold plates aren’t a miracle” and a deeper dive into what the historical and physical evidence actually suggests.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Watch, share, and tell us what stood out most.

Further Readings:

•Neal Rappleye, “Written Upon Gold Plates” – Comparing Witness Descriptions with Artifacts from the Pre-Modern World (FAIR 2023 conference page)

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference_home/virt-2023_defending-the-bom

•Josh Coates, “Plate Math: A Combinatorial Approach to Modeling All Possible Golden Plates” (FAIR conference presentation/transcript)

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference_home/august-2025-fair-conference/plate-math-a-combinatorial-approach-to-modeling-all-possible-golden-plates

•Sonia Hazard, “How Joseph Smith Encountered Printing Plates and Founded Mormonism” (Cambridge / Religion and American Culture)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/religion-and-american-culture/article/how-joseph-smith-encountered-printing-plates-and-founded-mormonism/FA3DCD9FBDD5CA3DF335B3360DF655E5

•Neal Rappleye talk on YouTube (FAIR), “Written Upon Gold Plates”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAgzJ8MYrcw

•Joseph Smith Papers, Testimony of the Three Witnesses (primary source)

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-4-testimony-of-three-witnesses-late-june-1829

•Joseph Smith Papers, Testimony of the Eight Witnesses (primary source)

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-5-testimony-of-eight-witnesses-late-june-1829

•Church History Topics, Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (official Church resource)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/witnesses-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng

•Scripture Central, Why Did Martin Harris Somet...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Could Joseph Smith Just Fabricated the Gold Plates?
• (00:04:22) - How to Make a Gold Plates
• (00:04:41) - The Printing Plates Theory
• (00:08:26) - The Gold Plates: Physical Requirements
• (00:14:08) - The Tumbaga Gold Plates
• (00:19:51) - How Hard Would It Be to Make Gold Plates?
• (00:23:15) - The Numbers of the Gold Plates
• (00:28:52) - The translation density of the Book of Mormon
• (00:30:45) - The size of the Book of Mormon characters
• (00:37:06) - The number of gold plates required

In this episode, social scientist Justin Dyer (BYU) breaks down major national datasets and new research on Latter-day Saint religiousness, well-being, and retention in the United States. We talk:

•Why “big data” needs careful context (forest vs trees)

•How LDS retention compares to other Christian traditions (especially active participation)

•The surprising reality of “ex-Mormon” profiles (including the “faith keepers/leaners” groups)

•Why daily connection with God matters for retention

•How political identity—on the extremes—can pull people away from faith

•What the data actually suggests about mental health, happiness, and well-being

•Why you shouldn’t burn bridges—and why the story isn’t finished

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Materials mentioned / core context

•https://foundations.byu.edu/0000019b-1343-d613-a59b-17df82980000/latterdaysaintreligiosity-pdf

•https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-landscape-study-executive-summary/

•https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/

•https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/15/why-do-some-americans-leave-their-religion-while-others-stay/

•https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Bowling-Alone-Revised-and-Updated/Robert-D-Putnam/9781982130848

•https://medicine.utah.edu/psychiatry/news/2015/05/key-mountain-states-suicide-belt-thin-air-u-of-u-school-of-medicine

Positive, faith-supporting resources (for audience)

•https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/10/come-join-with-us?lang=eng

•https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/54uchtdorf?lang=eng

•https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/51nelson?lang=eng

Mental health & resilience resources (Church)

•https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/ldsorg/topics/self-reliance/4-10-20-Emotional-Self-Reliance-Manual_updated.pdf?lang=eng 

•http...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Growing Disbandment of the Latter Day Saints
• (00:00:41) - Justin Dyer on Latter Day Saint religious
• (00:05:09) - Latter Day Saints and social connectedness
• (00:11:11) - The Biggest predictor of Leaving the Church
• (00:20:36) - The typical ex-Mormon profile
• (00:24:35) - What are some factors that might lead a person to reject faith entirely
• (00:29:58) - How Does the Latter Day Saint Church Fare on Mental Health?
• (00:32:21) - Mental Well-Being among Latter Day Saints
• (00:34:51) - A message about the future of Latter Day Saints

In this conversation with Jeff Bradshaw (senior research scientist and leading Latter-day Saint temple scholar), we explore how the Abraham narratives in Genesis (and the restoration through the Joseph Smith Translation and the Book of Abraham) point to:

• The Abrahamic Covenant as the New & Everlasting Covenant (and the Oath & Covenant of the Priesthood)

• How Abraham’s life models obedience, sacrifice, consecration, and promised blessings

• Melchizedek and what “king and priest” can mean spiritually

• The sacrament as a renewal of all our covenants (not just baptism)

• New names (Abraham/Sarah) and initiatory connections

• Sealing “welding links,” messy family stories, and God’s power to heal and gather

If you’ve ever wondered why Abraham’s story matters for your discipleship and temple worship today—this episode is for you.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Resources mentioned:

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw — Look Unto Abraham and Sarah (In the Beginning, Vol. 3) 

https://amzn.to/45Ua5Xd

• Jeffrey M. Bradshaw et al. — In God’s Image and Likeness, Vol. 3 (Abraham) 

https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/in-gods-image-and-likeness-3

• Jeffrey M. Bradshaw — Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood 

https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/store/product/temple-themes-in-the-oath-and-covenant-of-the-priesthood-pdf/

• “An article on temple themes in the Book of Abraham” (referenced by the host) 

A solid, relevant academic PDF on this theme (BYU ScholarsArchive):

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=ifb&filename=5&type=additional

• Doctrine and Covenants 84 (Oath & Covenant of the Priesthood) 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/84?lang=eng

• Doctrine and Covenants 132 (sealing / Abrahamic covenant connections referenced in discussion) 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132?lang     

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/abr/2?lang=eng

• Bradshaw’s publication hub (tons of PDFs & links you can mine for show notes) 

https://www.templethemes.net/publications.php

• Dura-Europos / “hand through the veil” imagery context (ties to their Isaac discussion)    

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-ezekiel-mural-at-dura-europos-a-witness-of-ancient-jewish-mysteries

• 11 K tradition mentioned

https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/11QMelchizedek.pdf

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/ancient-affinities-within-the-lds-book-of-enoch-part-one

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/ancient-affinities-within-the-lds-book-of-enoch-part-two

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/revisiting-the-forgotten-voices-of-weeping-in-moses-7-a-comparison-with-ancient-texts

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/moses-6-7-and-the-book-of-giants-remarkable-witnesses-of-enochs-ministry

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#lds #latterdaysaints #jesuschrist #temple #abrahamiccovenant #bookof...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Story of Abraham
• (00:00:29) - Jeffrey Bradshaw on the Book of Abraham
• (00:05:14) - What on Earth Can The Book of Abraham Do to Inform Our Own
• (00:10:15) - Joseph Smith on His Covenant Making
• (00:16:48) - The Melchizedek Priesthood and Enoch
• (00:19:06) - The Sacrament from the Melchizedek Story
• (00:22:50) - The Initiatory in Abraham's Story
• (00:28:13) - Lot and His descendants: a welding link
• (00:31:55) - The Story of Abraham

In this episode, we walk through key misconceptions highlighted by geneticists John M. Butler (forensic genetics—think CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Ugo Perego (population genetics / Native American ancestry research), and we explain why “no DNA = fake” is way too simplistic.

We cover:

•Why the absence of a specific “Israelite signature” doesn’t settle anything (we don’t have Lehi’s reference genome)

•The difference between forensic DNA matching and population genetics (real life isn’t The Simpsons / CSI)

•Why the Book of Mormon text doesn’t require a “hemispheric / everyone-descends-from-Lehi” model

•Why “we can sequence Neanderthals, so why not Nephites?” is an apples-to-oranges comparison

•How drift, bottlenecks, founder effects, and later migrations can overwhelm small founding lineages over time

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Further Readings:

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/the-book-of-mormon-and-the-origin-of-native-americans-from-a-maternally-inherited-dna-standpoint

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1658&context=msr

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?oi=gsb40&q=ugo%20a%20perego&lookup=0&hl=en

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aax0061

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5100745/

https://gcbias.org/2013/11/11/how-does-your-number-of-genetic-ancestors-grow-back-over-time/

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1308&context=jbms

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-and-dna-studies?lang=eng

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/DNA_and_the_Book_of_Mormon

https://mormonr.org/qnas/37RI8b/dna_and_the_book_of_mormon

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6054479.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo3Wz0Hoix0kuKzEXHUTkStm8Qu-nHzrWx6Nm4f22-cXbyTWG_S

Subscribe for more faithful deep-dives into scripture, history, and the claims people make online.

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

In this episode, BYU professor Joshua Sears (author of A Modern Guide to an Old Testament) walks through why comparing translations can change your study overnight, especially in difficult books like Isaiah, and how modern manuscript discoveries (like the Dead Sea Scrolls) affect what you see on the page. 

What you’ll learn:

•Why the Church still prefers the KJV in classes, but encourages helpful study tools for individuals 

•The best “starter” translations to compare side-by-side (ESV/NRSV, NIV/NLT, etc.) 

•Why “missing verses” in modern Bibles often reflect better manuscript evidence, not “tampering” 

•How covenants in the Old Testament are about relationship—not contracts 

•Key covenant terms to watch for (like ḥesed, often translated “lovingkindness”)

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Get the book: A Modern Guide to an Old Testament — https://amzn.to/4rarPWh 

Favorite takeaway? Comment your go-to Bible translation and why.

Further Readings:

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-20-no-3-2019/study-bibles

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/holy-bible-translations-editions-church-of-jesus-christ

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/38-church-policies-and-guidelines?lang=eng#title_number139

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/translations-and-downloads/scriptures/holy-bible?lang=eng

“Why Bible Translations Differ: A Guide for the Perplexed” (Ben Spackman, BYU Religious Studies Center): https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-15-no-1-2014/why-bible-translations-differ-guide-perplexed   

“How Excellent Is Thy Lovingkindness”: the principle of ḥesed (RSC, BYU): https://rsc.byu.edu/gospel-jesus-christ-old-testament/how-excellent-thy-lovingkindness   

“The Divine Council” (BYU Studies): https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-divine-council   

“The Textual Problem in 1 John 5:7–8” (the “Johannine Comma” topic you mention): https://bible.org/article/textual-problem-1-john-57-8   

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Professor Joshua Sears on the Old Testament
• (00:01:37) - The Church Handbook: Other Bible Texts
• (00:06:22) - What's So Beautiful About the King James Bible?
• (00:09:05) - The King James Version
• (00:14:06) - Mormon Doctrine: Differences Between Bible Texts
• (00:17:19) - How Do Latter Day Saints Deal With the Reliability of the Old
• (00:20:27) - Other Translations in the Bible
• (00:22:17) - Wonders of the Old Testament
• (00:26:11) - The Temple and Our Own Covenants
• (00:29:21) - What is a Covenant in the Hebrew Bible?
• (00:35:46) - Hesed: The Hebrew Word
• (00:38:51) - Signs of Covenants in the Old Testament
• (00:40:41) - How have God's Covenants Improve your own life?
• (00:42:14) - A Modern Guide to An Old Testament Study

In this episode we dig into a surprising (and wide-ranging) tradition found in Second Temple and later Jewish sources: Abraham as a learned observer of the heavens—sometimes described as an astronomer/astrologer—whose study of the stars connects to covenant, revelation, and even teaching kings. We walk through key texts and authors (including Jubilees/Qumran traditions, Josephus and the non-Jewish authorities he cites, Philo, and the Apocalypse of Abraham) and then compare how these themes converge with the Book of Abraham’s big moments—especially the idea that Abraham’s astronomy is used as a framework to teach Pharaoh and point to God’s order in the heavens.

If you’ve only heard Book of Abraham discussions framed around “papyri/Egyptology,” this is a different angle: Abrahamic lore and ancient tradition—and why it’s worth taking seriously.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Additional Readings:

Imitating Abraham:

https://brill.com/display/title/71766?language=en&srsltid=AfmBOoqUl7u5gAnFpKwcYKgFeunFmD7l405iUb9eZOdI403OV4FVWKyz

Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition:

https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/abraham-and-his-family

Traditions About the Early Life of Abraham:

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book/traditions-about-early-life-abraham

Palmyra and Jerusalem: Joseph Smith’s Scriptural Texts and the Writings of Flavius Josephus:

https://rsc.byu.edu/approaching-antiquity-joseph-smith-ancient-world/palmyra-jerusalem-joseph-smiths-scriptural-texts-writings-flavius-josephus

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-are-there-hebraisms-in-the-book-of-mormon

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/by-small-means-rethinking-the-liahona

Subscribe for more deep-dive, text-based episodes on scripture, history, and restoration claims.

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#BookOfAbraham #Abraham #Kolob #ScriptureStudy #LDS #LatterDaySaints #BibleScholarship #SecondTempleJudaism #DeadSeaScrolls #Josephus #Philo #ApocalypseOfAbraham #AncientEgypt #Astronomy #FaithAndReason

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - New Abraham: An Astronomer in the Second Temple
• (00:05:20) - Non-Jewish Sources on Abraham
• (00:09:52) - The Book of Abraham: An Astronomer
• (00:14:45) - The Apocalypse of Abraham and the Zohar
• (00:19:05) - The Book of Abraham and Astronomy
• (00:22:15) - The Book of Abraham: An Astrologer
• (00:25:03) - Josephus in the Book of Abraham
• (00:28:10) - Abrahamic Astronomy in the Book of Abraham
• (00:33:51) - Book of Abraham: The Story of Abraham

You’ll learn why some scholars read Abraham’s cosmology through an ancient geocentric lens, how Kolob functions as a stand-in for Jesus Christ (near unto God, chief in authority, tied to creation), and why that actually makes the doctrine more compelling—not less.    

We also explore the “real referent” question (including why Sirius is discussed as a serious candidate), the Egyptian wordplay connecting stars and spirits, and even the fascinating language around Shinehah/Shinneha as potentially tied to an Egyptian term for the sun’s ecliptic.      

From there, Abraham 3 pivots into the Divine Council, “noble and great ones,” and foreordination—then dovetails straight into Abraham 4–5 where creation is described as organizing pre-existing chaos (a pattern that fits ancient Near Eastern creation imagery).    

If you want to study deeply and believe boldly, this episode will give you a framework for reading Kolob and Abraham’s “weird” chapters with more clarity, context, and confidence.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Show notes:

The read “A Guide to the Book of Abraham” visit the BYU Studies website:

https://byustudies.byu.edu/issue/61-4

Articles on Kolob, Shinehah, and other issues discussed in this episode can be accessed here:

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/abrahamic-astronomy

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/shinehah-the-sun

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/kolob-the-governing-one

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-divine-council

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-foreordination-of-abraham

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-fall-of-lucifer

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/creation-from-chaos

Stephen’s OG article on the divine council can be found here:

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol22/iss2/4/

The Mormonr article on Kolob can be accessed here:

https://mormonr.org/qnas/6F7xbc/kolob

The foundational article on geocentric Abrahamic astronomy by Daniel Peterson, William Hamblin, and John Gee, is available here:

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/and-i-saw-stars-book-abraham-and-ancient-geocentric-astronomy

byustudies.byu.edu

Comment below: Do you read Kolob more as a literal star, a symbol, or both?

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#BookOfAbraham #Kolob #PearlOfGreatPrice #Abraham3 #ComeFollowMe #LatterDaySaints #LDS #MormonStudies #Egyptology #AncientNearEast #DivineCouncil #ScriptureStudy #Restoration #JesusChrist #GospelDoctrine

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Abraham: Kolob in the Book of Abraham
• (00:00:48) - Book of Abraham: More Story, Less Kolob
• (00:03:16) - Book of Abraham Astronomy
• (00:08:50) - Abraham's Puns vs. Neil's
• (00:11:25) - Kolob Etymology Explained
• (00:15:35) - The Name of the Sun's Ecliptic
• (00:18:30) - The Divine Council in the Book of Abraham
• (00:22:41) - God's Foreordination of Abraham
• (00:27:06) - The Fall of Lucifer
• (00:28:52) - The Origins of Satan in the Bible
• (00:34:20) - Abraham 3: Creativity and Organization
• (00:40:28) - The Weird Stuff in the Book of Abraham

We zoom in on Facsimile 1 and walk through details that often get ignored in quick social-media takes: the lion couch scene, ritual context, the possibility of an original ritual knife, and what the Egyptian concept of the Ba can mean (including why “angel” isn’t as random as critics claim). Then we pull back and show how the opening of Abraham’s story connects to covenant, temple themes, and even the cosmic scope of Abraham 3.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Did Egyptologists really disprove the Book of Abraham?”—this is the deep, careful conversation you’ve been looking for.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Episode Relevant Readings:

Kerry Muhlestein's article "A Priest, His Gods and His Depiction: Creation, Execration, and the Roles, Texts, and Vignette of Hor of Karnak" featured in this episode is available here:

https://egyptianexpedition.org/articles/a-priest-his-gods-and-his-depiction/

Kerry's book "Let's Talk About the Book of Abraham" featured in this episode is available here:

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/P5258289.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq6BoXHbWsXFxPQ7yyCatBMQLv1rgME_7c1Va_zyaGDV3asb7am

The original papyrus vignette of Facsimile 1 can be accessed on the Joseph Smith Papers website:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1

Articles on Facsimile 1 appeared in BYU Studies (Volume 61, no. 4, 2022) that address the interpretation of the facsimile and the issues raised in this podcast:

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/approaching-the-facsimiles

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/facsimile-1-as-a-sacrifice-scene

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-idolatrous-priest-facsimile-1-figure-3

John Gee's chapter on the facsimiles in his book "An Introduction to the Book of Abraham" is also...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Book of Abraham
• (00:00:51) - Ancient Scripture: The Book of Abraham Explained
• (00:03:13) - Karnak Horror Execration and the Roles of Priests
• (00:04:47) - Kerry Muhlstein on Facsimile One on Hor
• (00:07:19) - A priest at the Karnak Temple
• (00:12:17) - The Execration Rituals of the Egyptians
• (00:14:27) - Joseph Smith's Book of Breathings
• (00:16:17) - Common funerary, lion couch scene
• (00:16:45) - Joseph Smith's Lion Couch
• (00:22:05) - The Book of Abraham and the Papyrus
• (00:24:38) - Book of Abraham Reconstruction vs Egyptological representation
• (00:29:53) - Exercution Knife in the Pearl of Egypt
• (00:33:33) - Joseph Smith on the Mummy
• (00:38:36) - A Ba of the Israelite Pharaoh
• (00:42:35) - Book of Abraham: Facsimile 1
• (00:46:16) - The Book of Abraham
• (00:46:39) - The Book of Abraham Is True

We also talk about why this matters: what it could mean for how we read 2 John, what it suggests about women’s roles and authority in early Christian house churches, and how this connects with Restoration history—including Joseph Smith’s use of 2 John when organizing the Relief Society. 

The book and other resources:

https://amzn.to/4q2a5Mb

https://www.deseret.com/education/2025/11/08/stunning-find-meet-the-missing-woman-in-the-bible-rediscovered-by-a-byu-researcher/

https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/finding-the-elect-lady

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#InformedSaints #BibleStudy #NewTestament #2John #BiblicalStudies #TextualCriticism #ChristianHistory #WomenInTheBible #GreekNewTestament #LatterDaySaints #ReliefSociety #ScriptureStudy

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - New Woman in the New Testament: Explained
• (00:00:34) - The New Testament Woman in the New Testament
• (00:01:13) - Discovering Lady Eclecte in To John
• (00:05:42) - Clement's 3 John Argument
• (00:10:54) - Ancient Greek Eklecte, Korea
• (00:15:54) - John 7: Eclectic to the Elect Lady
• (00:19:28) - The Metaphorical Meaning of Ekklesia in 2 John
• (00:21:59) - Evangelism: Verse 13 of 2 John
• (00:26:27) - The name Eclectae
• (00:29:57) - The EWTN Question: Eclectae
• (00:33:48) - Anatomy of the New Testament
• (00:38:29) - The Late Reading of the New Testament
• (00:40:42) - Dittography and Haplography
• (00:44:50) - John 3:8- The Strange Address
• (00:51:20) - The Lady Eklecte of the New Testament

In this episode of Informed Saints, we break down what “Jerusalem” can mean in an ancient context, why the Book of Mormon repeatedly refers to the “land of Jerusalem,” and how sources like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Amarna Letters, and a 7th-century BC Bethlehem bulla (“Bethlehem for the king”) point to Bethlehem functioning within Jerusalem’s broader district/administrative world—especially in Lehi’s time. 

We also zoom out and ask an important question: what does modern scholarship even say about the Bethlehem tradition, and why do some scholars propose alternatives (including Jerusalem)? Most of all, we keep the focus where Alma puts it: Christ’s mission, Atonement, and Resurrection—not just a pin on a map. 

Here are some additional resources:

• Matt Roper, “Anachronisms: Accidental Evidence in Book of Mormon Criticisms—Chapter 6: Old World Jounreys by Land and Sea,” Interpreter 65 (2025), items 172 and 173; https://interpreterfoundation.org/journal/anachronisms-accidental-evidence-in-book-of-mormon-criticisms-chapter-6-old-world-journeys-by-land-and-sea ​
• Scripture Central. “Why Does the Book of Mormon Talk about a ‘Land of Jerusalem’? (1 Nephi 3:9),” KnoWhy 495 (December 20, 2018); https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-does-the-book-of-mormon-talk-about-a-land-of-jerusalem ​
• Neal Rappleye, “Why Did Alma Say Christ Would Be Born in Jerusalem? Surprising Evidence of the Book of Mormon,” LDS Living, December 21, 2017; https://www.ldsliving.com/why-did-alma-say-christ-would-be-born-in-jerusalem-surprising-evidence-of-the-book-of-mormon/s/87333 ​
• Gordon Thomasson, “Revisiting the Land of Jerusalem,” in Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon (FARMS, 1999); https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/revisiting-thelandofjerusalem ​
• Daniel C. Peterson, “Is the Book of Mormon True? Notes on the Debate,” in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited (FARMS, 1997); https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/book-mormon-true-notes-debate ​
• Joseph Feilding Smith, “Is There a Contradiction between Alma 7:10 and Matthew 2:5–6?” Improvement Era, April 1955; https://scripturecentral.org/archive/periodicals/magazine-article/there-contradiction-between-alma-710-and-matthew-256

#InformedSaints #BookOfMormon #Alma710 #JesusChrist #Bethlehem #Jerusalem #BibleStudy #ChristianHistory #Archaeology #DeadSeaScrolls #LatterDaySaints #FaithAndReason 

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem or Actually Jerusalem?
• (00:01:09) - Adam Levine on Book of Mormon Criticisms
• (00:06:24) - Book of Mormon Prophecy: Too Precise, According to Some
• (00:09:37) - Joseph Smith on Jerusalem vs Bethlehem
• (00:13:37) - The Law of the Land of Jerusalem
• (00:19:03) - Land of Jerusalem in First Nephi
• (00:24:03) - Palestine and the Amarna Letters
• (00:28:35) - Shipments of administrative goods from Bethlehem to Jerusalem
• (00:34:47) - The Place Where Jesus Was Born

In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye sits down with Neal Rappleye and Stephen Smoot to walk through every major source on the Anthon visit—from Martin’s own accounts to Anthon’s three conflicting letters and the memories of people who knew them both. We talk about “shorthand Egyptian,” the strange list of languages (Egyptian, Chaldean, Assyriac, and Arabic), early 1800s Egyptology, and new scholarship on what the characters Martin showed might have been. We also dig into Isaiah 29 and the famous line, “I cannot read a sealed book,” and how both skeptics and believers have used this story.

If you’ve ever wondered whether Martin Harris was duped or whether the Anthon episode can still fit a believing, historically informed view of the Restoration, this conversation is for you. Come study the evidence, think through motives and memory on both sides, and see how you can study hard and believe boldly as a Latter-day Saint today.

Resources:

Get the FAIR volumes mentioned in the episode now! https://linktr.ee/fair.bookstore

Primary Sources & Scripture

•Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65 (Pearl of Great Price) – Canonized account of Martin Harris’s visit to Charles Anthon. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng

•Joseph Smith Papers – “Appendix 2: Copies of Book of Mormon Characters” – High-res images and background on the various “characters” documents (including those related to the Anthon story). 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-2-copies-of-book-of-mormon-characters-introduction

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Scripture Central & Doctrine and Covenants Central

•Scripture Central – “Anthon Transcript” (Encyclopedia Entry) – Clear overview of what the Anthon Transcript is, what happened with Martin Harris and Charles Anthon, and why it matters. 

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/articles/encyclopedia-entry/anthon-transcript

•Doctrine & Covenants Central KnoWhy – “What Do We Know About the ‘Anthon Transcript’?” – Accessible summary that walks through the documents, competing accounts, and how this episode fits into the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. 

https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/knowhy/what-do-we-know-about-the-anthon-transcript/

•Doctrine & Covenants Central KnoWhy – “Why Did Martin Harris Consult with Scholars like Charles Anthon?” – Explores why Martin sought outside validation and how multiple scholars (not just Anthon) fit into the story. 

https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/knowhy/why-did-martin-harris-consult-with-scholars-like-charles-anthon/

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Faithful Scholarship & Deep Dives

•BYU Studies – “The Anthon Transcript: People, Primary Sources, and Problems” by Stanley B. Kimball – Classic study that gathers the main historical sources and analyzes what we can (and can’t) know about the visit. 

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-anthon-transcript-people-primary-sources-and-problems

•Journal of Book of Mormon Studies – “The Anthon Transcripts and the Translation of the Book of Mormon: Studying It Out in the Mind of Joseph Smith” by David E. Sloan – Looks at how this episode connects to Joseph’s translation process and “studying it out” (D&C 9). 

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/periodicals/journal-article/anthon-transcripts-and-translation-book-mormon-studying-it-out-mi...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Anthon transcript
• (00:00:30) - Martin Harris Reconsidering His Own Story
• (00:03:45) - Martin Harris and Charles Anthon
• (00:10:02) - Martin Harris and the Book of Mormon
• (00:16:03) - Joseph and Martin: A Safe Con Man
• (00:16:44) - Martin Harris on His TikTok
• (00:18:41) - A New Direction for Latter Day Saints: Ancient America and Faith Creat
• (00:20:02) - Joseph Smith: Essay on the Book of Mormon
• (00:24:21) - Joseph Smith vs Charles Anthon
• (00:27:10) - 4 languages mentioned in the Book of Mormon
• (00:33:03) - Martin Harris on the Book of Mormon
• (00:35:03) - John Thompson: The Egyptian Text in the Book of Mormon
• (00:42:30) - Charles Anthon and I Cannot Read a Seal Book

In this episode of Informed Saints, we walk through the wild, moving target that is the Pearl of Great Price and ask what it teaches us about an open — and living — canon. We talk about Franklin D. Richards’ original British pamphlet, Orson Pratt’s edition that briefly included D&C 132 and a canonized hymn, Talmage’s quiet changes to the Articles of Faith, the short life of Joseph Smith’s and Joseph F. Smith’s visions inside the Pearl of Great Price, and the “McConkie edition” that almost changed everything. 

Along the way, we explore:

• How something goes from newspaper article to canonized scripture

• Why some revelations and theological texts never made it into the standard works

• What criteria leaders actually use when they consider new scripture

• Why canonization is a community process, not a solo prophetic decree

• What it really means to have an “open” and “living” canon as Latter-day Saints 

We also introduce The Pearl of Great Price Study Edition by Stephen O. Smoot, published with the Interpreter Foundation and Scripture Central, and talk about how textual variants, facsimile changes, and manuscript history can actually strengthen faith when we understand the human side of scripture. 

If you’ve ever wondered, “Could we get new scripture?” or “Should I be worried that our canon has changed so much?” — this episode is for you. At Informed Saints, we show that you can study deeply and still believe boldly.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Donate today: ancientamerica.org/donate/

Resource Guide:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/the-pearl-of-great-price

https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/4040/

https://interpreterfoundation.org//books/the-pearl-of-great-price-study-edition

https://biblecentral.info/library/book/pearl-of-great-price-study-edition/

https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/content/library/pearl-of-great-price-first-edition-1851?lang=eng

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/the-pearl-of-great-price

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#InformedSaints #PearlOfGreatPrice #LDS #Mormon #Restoration #LatterDaySaint #ScriptureStudy #ChurchHistory #DoctrineAndCovenants #BookOfMormon #OpenCanon #LivingCanon #BruceRMcConkie #ScriptureCentral #InterpreterFoundation

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Pearl of Great Price: The Story of Its Creation
• (00:04:33) - Pearl of Great Price
• (00:07:33) - The Book of Mormon: Orson Pratt's First Edition
• (00:10:11) - Book of Moses
• (00:12:05) - Joseph Smith: The Visions of Moses 1
• (00:13:36) - Pearl Gate Price: The Second Edition
• (00:16:23) - The Doctrine of Covenants hymn book, 1902
• (00:18:00) - The Fourth Article of Faith in the Pearl of Great Price
• (00:21:08) - Pearl of Great Price
• (00:24:38) - Elder Bruce R. McConkie's Proposal to Have
• (00:28:19) - He wanted a ton of chapters from the JST Gospels in
• (00:29:33) - Elder McConkie on the Wentworth Letter
• (00:33:48) - Article of Faith 2, Bruce R. McConkey
• (00:35:01) - Wentworth Letter, Part 14
• (00:39:16) - What's the Process of Canonization?
• (00:44:20) - The Canon of the Latter Day Saints

We’ll explain in plain language:

• What an anachronism is (and why George Washington with a machine gun is a "perfect" example)

• How horses, steel, cities, roads, cement, and other “impossible” Book of Mormon details have fared as archaeology has advanced

• Why translation, loan-shifting (like calling a peccary a “pig”), and limited excavation in the Americas matter for this discussion

• How Matt Roper’s new Interpreter Foundation study updates earlier work by John Clark and shows the Book of Mormon aging surprisingly well in light of new evidence 

At Informed Saints, we study hard and bring our receipts. This episode is your intro to anachronisms: what critics claim, what the data actually say, and why Latter-day Saints can be both faithful and intellectually honest about ancient texts.

Sources:

https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jmh/article-abstract/48/4/1/318163/Apologetics-and-Antiquity-Book-of-Mormon-Reception

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/john-bernhisels-gift-to-a-prophet-incidents-of-travel-in-central-america-and-the-book-of-mormon

https://scripturecentral.org/knowhy/why-did-the-lord-command-the-three-witnesses-to-rely-upon-his-word

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/john-bernhisels-gift-to-a-prophet-incidents-of-travel-in-central-america-and-the-book-of-mormon/

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/591852

https://www.monticello.org/research-education/thomas-jefferson-encyclopedia/jeffersons-excavation-native-american-burial-mound/

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/anachronisms-accidental-evidence-in-book-of-mormon-criticisms-introduction/

https://www.nsf.gov/science-matters/horses-part-indigenous-cultures-longer-western

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/why-things-move-a-new-look-at-helaman-12-15

https://www.byui.edu/speeches/kim-b-clark/the-prophet-joseph-smith

#InformedSaints #BookOfMormon #Anachronisms #BookOfMormonEvi...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Book of Mormon Anachronism Study
• (00:03:23) - 227 Anachronisms Found in the Book of Mormon
• (00:08:12) - The Historic Anachronisms of the Book of Mormon
• (00:13:10) - The Book of Mormon Criticism of Horses
• (00:19:12) - Book of Mormon Proposals
• (00:23:59) - Anticipating anachronisms in the Book of Mormon
• (00:25:31) - Loan Shift
• (00:29:16) - Matt Holleran on Anachronisms in the Bible
• (00:35:13) - The Book of Mormon: Anachronism Proofs
• (00:38:22) - Are Native Americans Still Having Donkeys?
• (00:38:44) - Steel Swords in the New World
• (00:43:20) - No iPhones in Book of Mormon History
• (00:45:59) - Matt Roper and the Book of Mormon
• (00:53:39) - Anachronisms and Book of Mormon Criticisms

In this episode of Informed Saints, Jasmin Rappleye sits down with Neal Rappleye and Stephen Smoot to unpack recent online controversy over the Church’s new “Translation of the Book of Mormon” article and statements that the text came by “divine revelation.” Drawing on Doctrine and Covenants passages, early witness accounts, and Joseph Smith’s own statements, they explore how early Latter-day Saints understood the relationship between translation, revelation, seer stones, and the Urim and Thummim, and why calling the Book of Mormon both a translation and a revelation is not new language at all. 

In this episode:

• Why a viral ex-Mormon Reddit thread claims the Church “changed translation to revelation”

• What Joseph Smith meant by translating “by the gift and power of God”

• How early Saints— including the witnesses—described the Book of Mormon

• Whether “revelation” implies backing away from historicity

• What a “revelatory translation” tells us about God’s purposes for the Book of Mormon

Resource Guide:

Official Church Resources

•Book of Mormon Translation – Topics & Questions (ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Concise Q&A overview of how the Church currently explains the translation, including seer stones, plates, and eyewitnesses.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/book-of-mormon-translation-joseph-smith-plural-marriage   

•Gospel Topics Essay: “Book of Mormon Translation”

In-depth official essay with historical context and primary sources about the mechanics of translation and the phrase “by the gift and power of God.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-translation?lang=eng   

•Elder Ulisses Soares – “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” (April 2020 General Conference)

Apostolic perspective on why the Book of Mormon’s coming forth is best understood as a miracle of revelation and translation together.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/23soares?lang=eng   

•Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, “The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon,” Liahona, Mar. 2024

Recent Church magazine article summarizing eyewitness accounts and explaining the role of seer stones, interpreters, and the plates.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/03/united-states-and-canada-section/02-the-miraculous-translation-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Nature of Book of Mormon Translation vs. Revelation
• (00:00:28) - The Translation of the Book of Mormon
• (00:03:49) - Was the Book of Mormon a Translation or a Revelation?
• (00:05:15) - The Book of Mormon: Translation or Revelation?
• (00:12:45) - By the Gift and Power of God
• (00:16:07) - Seer and Translator: Revelation to Translate
• (00:18:10) - The Book of Mormon: Oliver's Translator
• (00:20:36) - The Gift of Revelation
• (00:25:17) - Was the Book of Mormon a Translation of an Ancient Record or a
• (00:30:29) - Does the Book of Mormon Have a Histicity?

Underwood shows that a lot of the online “Mormons aren’t Christian” arguments come down to definitions, not devotion—and that many Latter-day Saints would benefit from seeing themselves inside the wider Christian conversation, not outside it. This episode is perfect for Latter-day Saints who talk with evangelical friends, for Christians who are curious about LDS beliefs, and for anyone who wants a calmer, better-informed way to talk about God.

⸻

In this episode you’ll hear about:

•Why Latter-day Saints should care about “theology,” not just “doctrine”

•How Latter-day Saints and other Christians talk past each other using the same words differently

•LDS belief in an embodied God and how that compares to creedal Christianity

•“Separate-being” or “social” Trinitarianism and why it’s closer than people assume

•LDS inclusivism: affirming the Restoration while honoring centuries of sincere Christians

•How publishing with Eerdmans opened the door for real dialogue between traditions

•Surprising overlaps with Eastern Orthodoxy on deification and theosis

•Why better definitions can “bulldoze down” unnecessary walls between believers 

⸻

For viewers coming from other Christian traditions:

This episode is not a debate. It’s an attempt to show the actual range of Christian belief across 2,000 years, and to place Latter-day Saints inside that bigger story instead of outside it. If you’ve only seen LDS beliefs described in polemical books or social posts, this conversation will feel very different. 

⸻

Subscribe for more long-form, faithful, informed conversations on Latter-day Saint history, doctrine, and how we fit in the wider Christian world.

#LatterDaySaint #Mormonism #Christianity #InformedSaints #GrantUnderwood #LDSTheology #Restoration #Trinity #Theosis #BYU #FaithAndReason #Interfaith

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Latter Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies
• (00:00:32) - Grant Underwood on His Book, The Life of Early Mormonism
• (00:01:12) - Why should Latter Day Saints care about theology?
• (00:06:20) - What is it about our conception of God that distinguishes us from other
• (00:11:50) - Mormons and the Language
• (00:14:06) - A Taste of the Book
• (00:16:56) - Mormons: We Are Not Creeal Christians
• (00:29:13) - The Problem of the Term "Christian"
• (00:37:42) - Latter Day Saints and Eastern Orthodoxy
• (00:42:28) - Eerdmans Publishing: Who's Christianity?
• (00:48:00) - The Church and its apostolic status
• (00:51:33) - A message on the Light of the Church
• (00:57:39) - Christianity: Inclusivist vs. Expulsivist
• (00:59:06) - Why Do You Believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day

In this Informed Saints exclusive, church historian and biographer Richard E. “Rick” Turley Jr. (author of In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks) helps us answer the big question: Who is President Dallin H. Oaks, the 18th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? From a humble Utah childhood marked by loss, to graduating #1 at the University of Chicago Law School, clerking for Chief Justice Earl Warren, leading BYU, serving on the Utah Supreme Court, and decades as an apostle—including time presiding in the Philippines—Turley shares human, surprising, and faith-building stories that reveal what kind of prophet President Oaks may be.

What you’ll learn

• Early experiences that forged President Oaks’s work ethic and faith (including dramatic near-misses with death)

• Why he pivoted from big-firm law to scholarship and service—and how that shaped his leadership

• BYU years: academic rigor, religious freedom advocacy, equal pay for women faculty, and yes… Cosmo the Cougar

• Why the Utah Supreme Court was his “most enjoyable job” and how that legal mind informs his ministry

• The call to the Twelve alongside Russell M. Nelson—and why he delayed ordination to finish court opinions

• Family insights: June Dixon Oaks’s refining influence and Kristin McMain Oaks’s later partnership

• What “a witness of the name of Jesus Christ” means to President Oaks—and to the global Church today

Guest: Rick Turley—longtime Church historian; co-author on Mountain Meadows Massacre volumes; author on the Mark Hofmann forgeries; forthcoming biography Joseph the Prophet.

Watch next: More Informed Saints conversations on modern Prophets, Church history, and faith in action.

#DallinHOaks #LDS #InformedSaints #LatterDaySaints #BYU #RickTurley #Prophet

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Informed Saints: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks
• (00:01:00) - Richard E. Turley Jr. on History and the Church
• (00:02:20) - President Dallin H. Oaks's Life Sketch
• (00:08:18) - Dallin Oaks: The Life of Prophecy
• (00:13:14) - Living Proof of Descendants: An Ordinary Life
• (00:17:18) - President Oaks' Early Years in Chicago
• (00:23:17) - How to Balance Work, Life, Family
• (00:26:07) - Dallin H O. Oaks: A Personal Distinction
• (00:30:43) - President Dallin H. Oaks as President of BYU
• (00:34:20) - President Spencer W. Kimball's time as president of BYU
• (00:39:19) - A Personal Memoir by Dallin H. Oaks
• (00:40:32) - President Oaks and His Life
• (00:43:59) - Appointments of Russell M. Oaks
• (00:50:28) - The Life of An Apostle
• (00:53:08) - What Does an Apostle Do On a Day?
• (00:54:40) - A Personal Experience of Area Presidents
• (00:57:11) - June Oakes in The Life of President Oaks
• (01:01:18) - Dallin H. Oaks on His Time in the First Presidency
• (01:03:56) - Dallin H. Oaks on His Life
• (01:06:53) - In the Elevation: A Personal History of Joseph Smith
• (01:13:08) - Informed Saints

While the short answer is, yes. There is a lot of fun nuance to this topic and also it gave us an excuse to dress up and have some more fun with one of these episodes! Thanks for sharing and watching!

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

===Discover===

If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.

https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/

===Content Disclaimer===

The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#mormon #lds #halloween #spooky

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Halloween: What Do Latter Day Saints Celebrate?
• (00:01:41) - What's The Church's Position On Halloween?
• (00:04:55) - What Do Latter Day Saints Do For Halloween?
• (00:07:20) - How Do Latter Day Saints Do Trick Or Treat?
• (00:12:29) - Does Halloween Cross The Line For Latter Day Saints?
• (00:16:49) - "You shouldn't be playing with fire"
• (00:17:26) - The History of Latter Day Saints and Halloween
• (00:22:36) - Mormons Celebrate Halloween

In this video you’ll learn:

• What D&C 132 (July 12, 1843) says and how it surfaced

• Why William Clayton’s journal entry matters for dating and context

• How the Whitney letter (Aug 18, 1842) and related instructions fit the timeline

• What the Nauvoo High Council minutes and affidavits contribute

• How the Nauvoo Expositor became part of the public controversy

• How faithful historians weigh converging, independent sources

Why this matters:

Latter-day Saints and honest seekers deserve a source-based understanding—one that’s faithful and rigorous. We focus on documents, context, and methods, not internet rumors.

Sources & Further Reading (Primary + Faithful Scholarship)

Official overviews

• Gospel Topics Essay — Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo

• Scripture — Doctrine & Covenants 132 (Celestial Marriage):

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132

Key primary sources (Joseph Smith Papers)

• Revelation, 12 July 1843 (D&C 132) (text & images):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-12-july-1843-dc-132

• William Clayton journal (entry noting the 12 July 1843 revelation):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org

(Search: “William Clayton journal July 12 1843”)

• Letter to Newel K. Whitney, 18 Aug. 1842 (Joseph in hiding; private visit re: Sarah Ann Whitney):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-to-newel-k-whitney-18-august-1842

• Revelation, 27 July 1842 (Whitney sealing instructions):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-27-july-1842

• Nauvoo High Council minutes (Hyrum reading the revelation; contemporary references):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org

(Search: “Nauvoo High Council minutes July–Aug 1843”)

• Nauvoo Expositor, 7 June 1844 (includes affidavits; early public controversy):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/nauvoo-expositor-7-june-1844

• Affidavit of Austin Cowles (context for the High Council reading):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org

(Search: “Affidavit Austin Cowles June 1844”)

Witness & late reminiscence samplers

• Emma Smith—late statements on Nauvoo polygamy (compiled):

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org  (Search: “Emma Smith polygamy statements”)

• David Whitmer, Address to All Believers in Christ (full text scan):

https://archive.org/details/addresstoallbeli00whit

Faithful scholarship (accessible)

• Gerrit J. Dirkmaat & Michael H. MacKay, From Darkness unto Light (RSC):

https://rsc.byu.edu/book/darkness-unto-light

• Dirkmaat & MacKay, Let’s Talk about the Translation of the Book of Mormon (context for seer stones/translation):

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/P6012373.html

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - There's a Very Vocal Group of People Who Think Joseph Smith
• (00:01:43) - What is the Movement Denying Polygyny?
• (00:05:58) - This New Movement on Polygyny in the Latter Day Saints
• (00:09:16) - Joseph Smith's Denials of Plural Marriage
• (00:13:01) - Joseph Smith's Legal Cases in 1844
• (00:18:43) - Joseph Smith's Plural Marriage
• (00:20:12) - The 1835 Statement on Marriage
• (00:23:10) - Primary Sources on Joseph Smith's Polygyny
• (00:29:00) - Critical Historians on the Nauvoo Expositor
• (00:36:22) - Polygamy Denier: A Trojan Horse
• (00:41:05) - The Issues of Joseph Smith's Polygyny

In this episode, Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot unpack Nazi secret police files, surveillance reports, banned books, arrests, and a high-level memo stating that Latter-day Saint doctrine is incompatible with National Socialism.

We also add context to the infamous Heber J. Grant photo and highlight the story of Helmut Hübener.

What you’ll learn

• How minorities navigated “three doors”: resistance, collaboration, or neutrality

• What Nazi reports say about Latter-day Saint beliefs and behavior

• Why some local leaders tried to “play nice”—and why the regime still distrusted the Church

• The reality behind viral claims and photos

Here are some of the resources discussed in the episode as well as other valuable resources on this topic!

https://mormonr.org/qnas/aA2rfb/latter_day_saints_and_nazi_germany

https://rsc.byu.edu/book/harms-way

https://rsc.byu.edu/book/under-gun

https://rsc.byu.edu/firm-foundation/succession-german-mission-leadership-during-world-war-ii

https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/German-and-Austrian-Latter-day-Saints-in-World-War-II-An-Analysis-of-the-Casualties-and-Losses.pdf

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/helmuth-hubener?lang=eng

https://rsc.byu.edu/regional-studies-latter-day-saint-church-history-europe/deliverer-oppressor

https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/sbi/issues/024.pdf

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23286361

https://archive.org/details/whentruthwastrea0000unse

If this helped clarify a tough topic, like, comment, and subscribe for more faith-and-scholarship conversations.

#LDS #InformedSaints #History #NaziGermany #HelmutHubener

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Were Latter Day Saints Nazis?
• (00:01:46) - Mormon Nazis New Book Uncovers LDS Support for the Third
• (00:03:04) - Mormons in Germany under the Nazis
• (00:05:15) - Jehovah's Witnesses: The 3 Doors
• (00:10:48) - The Nazis Had a dossier on the Mormons in Nazi Germany
• (00:16:04) - What else Were the Nazis Doing? They Were Banning Mormon Literature
• (00:19:37) - The Problem of Pro-State Propaganda
• (00:24:12) - Latter Day Saints and the Nazi Party
• (00:26:02) - What Do the Nazis Think of The Mormons?
• (00:30:49) - Mormons in Germany: Were They Pro-Nazi?
• (00:35:25) - Heber J. Grant in front of the Nazi Flag
• (00:37:32) - David Conley on Moroni and the Swastika
• (00:41:21) - Was Latter Day Saint Church Ball a Tool of the Nazi regime?
• (00:46:24) - Latter Day Saints in Nazi Germany

https://youtube.com/live/2IpxhFWwLAQ?feature=share

Recap, review, and analysis of General Conference and more! With Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot!

#lds #podcast #informedsaints #generalconference #mormon 

Chapters

• (00:00:02) - General Conference 2017
• (00:00:44) - General Conference 2018: The tone of the Conference
• (00:05:30) - Sustaining the Prophet's Counselors
• (00:10:24) - None of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles seem to be seeking
• (00:12:36) - Oh No... No New Temples
• (00:12:52) - President Nelson Announces No New Temples This Conference
• (00:17:36) - Tim Strong on Temple Announcements
• (00:19:09) - The Family Proclamation: Should it Be Canoted?
• (00:22:30) - The First Presidency's Family Proclamation
• (00:26:40) - The Family Proclamation Explained
• (00:32:39) - The First Presidency and the Family Proclamation
• (00:34:05) - General Conference 2017: The Family Proclamation
• (00:37:48) - General Conference 2017
• (00:40:22) - President Oaks testifying the Doctrine of the Family
• (00:43:07) - General Conference 2017: Defending My Own Testimony
• (00:47:43) - Elder Holland's Talk on Experiences
• (00:54:43) - Tribute to President Nelson at Conference
• (00:56:59) - General Conference 2022: Primary Music Talk
• (00:59:54) - Mormon Church in Sydney Gutted by Fire
• (01:00:32) - Nearly 900,000 Converts Join the Church in 6 Months
• (01:04:17) - The challenge of producing curriculum for new members
• (01:06:54) - A Year in the Life
• (01:08:05) - Comments on Jonah at Virtual Fair Conference 2019

https://youtube.com/live/2IpxhFWwLAQ?feature=share

Today has been heavy folks. Join us as we talk about the passing of President Russell M. Nelson and the horrific tragedy that took place in a ward in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

#mormon #lds #news

Chapters

• (00:00:01) - President Russell M. Nelson's Passing
• (00:00:42) - President Nelson Dead: What Happened Next?
• (00:03:52) - A Brief History of President Nelson
• (00:10:11) - President Russell Nelson's Life
• (00:15:47) - Examples of Conference Talks that I liked
• (00:24:08) - What Changed in the Church Under President Nelson's Lifetime
• (00:27:49) - President Nelson's Changes to the Church
• (00:33:49) - President Nelson's Change Campaign
• (00:35:14) - A message on President Gaylord's legacy
• (00:40:15) - President Nelson's Attention to the Hebrew
• (00:42:40) - President Nelson's Death and the Church Shooting in Michigan
• (00:50:31) - The Call to Be Peacemakers
• (00:53:56) - The Church Issues Statement Regarding Shooting at Church Chapel
• (00:58:13) - doctrine covenants, section 98
• (01:02:49) - President Trump tweets out support for Latter Day Saints following church shooting

In this episode of Informed Saints, hosts Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot sit down with Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat (BYU professor, historian, and author of From Darkness unto Light) to explore the historical sources behind the Book of Mormon translation. Together, they discuss what the witnesses saw, how early Saints understood seer stones and the Urim and Thummim, and why the very strangeness of the translation process actually strengthens, rather than weakens, the case for its divinity.

What you’ll learn:

• Why Joseph’s contemporaries saw seer stones as miraculous, not fraudulent

• How early accounts from Emma Smith, Martin Harris, and others describe the translation

• The difference between folk magic, biblical precedent, and divine seership

• Why the physical reality of the gold plates remains the strongest defense of Joseph’s calling

A faith-affirming conversation that blends history, theology, and testimony.

Here are some of the resources discussed in the episode as well as other valuable resources on this topic!

-Artwork credit to Anthony Sweat who granted permissions for us to share his incredible artwork.

• https://www.anthonysweat.com

Start here (official & concise)

• Gospel Topics — Book of Mormon Translation

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-translation

• Church History Topic — Seer Stones

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/seer-stones

• Saints, Vol. 1 (The Standard of Truth)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/saints-v1

Primary sources (witnesses & early attestations)

• Emma Smith’s 1879 “Last Testimony” (PDF)

https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/testimony%20of%20emma%20smith.pdf

• Joseph Knight Sr. reminiscences (Church History Library catalog)

https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/record/37b7b91c-4148-45d6-8f32-df4acf06fe99

• David Whitmer — An Address to All Believers in Christ

https://archive.org/details/addresstoallbeli00whit

• Early newspaper: Jonathan A. Hadley (Palmyra Freeman, 1829)

https://rsc.byu.edu/coming-forth-book-mormon/joseph-smiths-negotiations-publish-book-mormon

• Wilford Woodruff Papers (Urim & Thummim; Manti consecration)

https://www.wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/day-in-church-history/1841-12-02

Scholarship & synthesis (faithful)

• Turley, Jensen & Ashurst-McGee — “Joseph the Seer” (Ensign, Oct. 2015)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/10/joseph-the-seer

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Book of Mormon Restoration: From Darkness Unto Light
• (00:04:17) - How Was the Book of Mormon Translated?
• (00:10:12) - Questions about the Translation of the Book of Mormon
• (00:16:28) - Seer Stones and Folk Magic in Early Mormonism
• (00:21:47) - On Joseph Smith's Clairvoyance
• (00:26:03) - Seer Stones and the Book of Mormon
• (00:32:21) - Martin Harris on the Book of Mormon
• (00:39:31) - The Origins of the Book of Mormon
• (00:46:48) - Multiple Translation Devices in the Book of Mormon
• (00:53:40) - The Real Story of the Plates
• (01:00:56) - The Physical Reality of the Book of Mormon

In this debut episode of Informed Saints, hosts Jasmin Rappleye, Neal Rappleye, and Stephen Smoot dive into groundbreaking research that brings together history, neuroscience, and faith. Drawing on scholarship from Stephen C. Harper and a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the discussion unpacks how memory actually works — and what that means for understanding Joseph Smith’s earliest visions.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why differences in the First Vision accounts aren’t necessarily signs of dishonesty

• How neuroscience explains the way memories consolidate and evolve over time

• The concept of “flashbulb memories” and why Joseph’s accounts fit the pattern

• Insights from both believing and non-believing scholars on historical reliability

This thoughtful conversation shows how modern scholarship and faith can work together to strengthen testimonies and provide context for complex questions.

Here are some of the resources discussed in the episode as well as other valuable resources on this topic!

•Stephen C. Harper – First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins (Oxford University Press, 2019)

A balanced and deeply researched book that applies memory science to the First Vision. Harper is both a believing Latter-day Saint historian and an academic scholar, making this one of the best starting points.

•Richard Lyman Bushman – Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (Knopf, 2005)

The definitive biography of Joseph Smith by one of the most respected Latter-day Saint historians. Discusses the First Vision in its historical context.

•Alexander L. Baugh, Steven C. Harper, Brent M. Rogers, and Benjamin Pykles, Editors – Joseph Smith and His First Vision: Context, Place, and Meaning

https://rsc.byu.edu/book/joseph-smith-his-first-vision

•John W. Welch – Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations

Collects and analyzes all primary accounts of the First Vision (and other revelations) in a single volume. Great for studying source texts directly.

•Steven C. Harper – Joseph Smith’s First Vision: A Guide to the Historical Accounts (Deseret Book, 2012)

A shorter, more accessible overview that compares the accounts and explains their significance.

•Céline Duffau, Carter Charles, Religious Experience and Memory Retrieval: A Memory Studies Reading of Joseph Smith’s “First Vision” Accounts – Journal of the American Academy of Religion (2025).

https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article-abstract/93/1/129/8159945?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Online Resources

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Was Joseph Smith Lying or Forgetting the First Vision?
• (00:00:41) - The Biggest Stirrer in My Faith Crisis Was...
• (00:04:38) - Mormon history of the First Vision
• (00:06:26) - Joseph Smith's First Vision Accounts
• (00:11:22) - How Memory Connects with Joseph Smith's First Vision
• (00:18:39) - Joseph Smith on Religious Revival in Palmyra
• (00:22:24) - Joseph Smith Recalls Falling Off His Bike
• (00:26:21) - Celine Dafoe and the Journal of the American Academy of
• (00:29:13) - Joseph Smith's Flashbulb Memory
• (00:35:18) - Joseph Smith in the First Vision
• (00:38:19) - A British Literary Scholar Says Joseph Smith's First Vision 'Is Better

Hosted by Jasmin Rappleye, Stephen Smoot, and Neal Rappleye, each episode explores trending topics, difficult questions, and the latest research related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Whether you’re diving into Church history, exploring Book of Mormon scholarship, or simply looking for meaningful insights in your gospel study, Informed Saints offers engaging discussions that are accessible, lighthearted, and testimony-building.

What to expect:

• Honest conversations on challenging or trending issues

• Insights from scholars and experts in their fields

• Reactions to online discussions, tweets, and TikToks

• Tools and perspectives to deepen your study of the restored Gospel

Join us weekly on YouTube, social media, or wherever you get your podcasts — and become an informed saint.