In a recent episode on the YouTube channel Hello Saints, Jeff McCullough interviewed Jasmin Rappleye (who got her degree from BYU in Ancient Near Eastern Studies) about one of Mormonism’s most controversial scriptures: the Book of Mormon. During the discussion, several apologetic approaches to the Book of Abraham was presented. In this episode, we examine three of the most common theories used to defend Joseph Smith’s translation: -The Missing Scroll Theory -The Long Scroll Theory -The Catalyst Theory Drawing heavily from Dan Vogel’s groundbreaking book Book of Abraham Apologetics, we carefully review the historical evidence surrounding these claims, including the eyewitness accounts frequently cited by defenders of the Long Scroll Theory. Do these accounts actually support the evidence of a lengthy missing papyrus containing the Book of Abraham? Or have they been selectively interpreted to fit a predetermined conclusion? Along the way, we examine the work of prominent Egyptologists, discuss the relationship between Joseph Smith’s translation claims and the surviving papyri, and explore why even faithful scholars have increasingly moved away from defending the Book of Abraham as a literal translation of the existing Egyptian texts. Join Kolby, Nemo, and Julia as they work through the evidence, compare competing apologetic arguments, and ask what explanation best fits the historical record. In our next episode, we’ll examine a fourth and increasingly popular theory: that the Book of Abraham preserves authentic ancient Jewish traditions about Abraham and may contain an ancient core despite not being a direct translation of the surviving papyri. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/how-lds-apologists-handle-the-book-of-abraham/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:55 - Hello Saints with Jasmin Rappleye 00:06:38 - Book of Abraham backstory 00:07:02 - Showing full spreads of these scrolls 00:13:26 - What the scrolls really are 00:18:54 - (Clip) Motive will change outcome 00:27:26 - Gee and Ritner relationship 00:28:34 - (Clip) Not the keystone 00:31:56 - Other translations 00:35:44 - (Clip) Not the core of restoration 00:36:44 - Doctrine we lose 00:45:15 - (Clip) Getting our own planet 00:46:02 - Past teachings 00:56:46 - (Clip) Kerry Muhlestein 00:58:51 - Three different theories 01:00:14 - (Clip) ExMormons misrepresenting facts 01:04:05 - Missing two columns/vingnette 01:06:02 - (Clip) Way more papyri 01:09:10 - Henry Tressler account 01:11:58 - William Appleby account 01:18:07 - Charlotte Haven account 01:20:31 - Baboon and serpent 01:23:31 - Benjamin Ashby account 01:28:08 - Unnamed Observer “M” 01:29:28 - Images on the Book of Dead 01:31:15 - Jerusha Blanchard account 01:33:35 - Joseph Smith III account 01:38:55 - Hugh Nibley account 01:47:51 - Catalyst theory 02:00:39 - Robin Scott Jensen 02:02:40 - Terryl Givens 02:11:06 - (Clip) Thin documentation 02:16:59 - Fourth theory (Jewish Tradition) 02:17:11 - (Clip) Not written by Abraham? 02:20:58 - (Clip) Robert Ritner 02:24:04 - Joseph Smith’s translation vs Egyptologists 02:27:44 - Closing remarks ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117