Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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: 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: donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m
Patreon: patreon.com/mormonstories
Venmo: account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories
Paypal: paypal.me/mormonstories
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join
Our Platforms:
🌐Mormon Stories Blog: mormonstories.org/episodes
🎙️Patreon: patreon.com/mormonstories
✳️Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1
🍎Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772
🖼️Instagram: instagram.com/mormstories
📱TikTok: tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast
🎮Discord: discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF
Contact us:
📧 MormonStories@gmail.com
📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117
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: 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: donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m
Patreon: patreon.com/mormonstories
Venmo: account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories
Paypal: paypal.me/mormonstories
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join
Our Platforms:
🌐Mormon Stories Blog: mormonstories.org/episodes
🎙️Patreon: patreon.com/mormonstories
✳️Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1
🍎Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772
🖼️Instagram: instagram.com/mormstories
📱TikTok: tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast
🎮Discord: discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF
Contact us:
📧 MormonStories@gmail.com
📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117
