In this episode, we explore groundbreaking research from PhD student Colby Townsend, who has uncovered compelling connections between The Book of Mormon and Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary—one of the most widely used biblical resources during Joseph Smith’s time. Townsend’s findings raise fascinating questions about the nature of the Book of Mormon’s translation and the possible influence of contemporary scholarship on its text.
Through in-depth discussion and analysis, we examine how Joseph Smith may have drawn from Clarke’s commentary while producing The Book of Mormon and later during his Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the Bible. While none of Smith’s contemporaries explicitly mention Clarke’s commentary, the textual similarities suggest a deliberate engagement with Clarke’s insights. Rather than direct copying, Townsend argues Smith selectively borrowed, rephrased, and sometimes misunderstood Clarke’s interpretations—an act that would not have been considered plagiarism by 19th-century standards.
This episode also situates Townsend’s findings within broader scholarly discussions, including Dan Vogel’s “pious fraud” theory, which proposes that Smith believed he was doing God’s work even if he used outside sources. We dive into examples of scriptural overlap—particularly within the Isaiah chapters—and explore why Smith might have inserted or modified entire passages based on Clarke’s commentary, sometimes correcting or reinterpreting them to fit his own theological vision.
We trace how these discoveries challenge the traditional LDS narrative of a purely divine translation process and consider the evolving meaning of “revelation” within the context of 19th-century religious thought. The episode also touches on Smith’s Methodist influences, his connection to Clarke (a prominent Methodist theologian), and the shared Restorationist impulses of the era.
Ultimately, this conversation opens up new ways of understanding how The Book of Mormon was created. Was Joseph Smith restoring lost scripture, or was he an inspired translator deeply influenced by the biblical scholarship of his time? Townsend’s research adds crucial context to this ongoing debate and invites listeners to reexamine the origins of Mormonism’s foundational text.
