Book of Mormon/Secular authorship theories

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Secular authorship theories to explain the Book of Mormon

Authorship theories

Summary: An overview of the various authorship theories that critics have created to explain the existence of the Book of Mormon.

B.H. Roberts and "Studies of the Book of Mormon

Summary: B.H. Roberts produced several critical examinations of the Book of Mormon. These were later published after his death under the title Studies of the Book of Mormon.

B.H. Roberts' testimony

Summary: It is claimed that B.H. Roberts lost his testimony of the Book of Mormon as the result of his work on the material contained in Studies of the Book of Mormon.

An analysis of early critical reaction

Summary: Early critical reaction to the Book of Mormon is instructive, both because of what it did say (e.g., Joseph Smith could not have produced it unaided) and what it did not say.

Early claims about Joseph Smith as author

Summary: Some early claims assumed that Joseph was clearly the Book of Mormon's only author; others assumed that it was clear he could not have written it.

Plagiarism accusations

Summary: Joseph Smith is often accused of creating the Book of Mormon by plagiarizing various contemporary sources such as the Spalding Manuscript or Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews.