The Lost 116 Pages – Don Bradley Notes

Don Bradley, a professional researcher with a master’s in history, discusses the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon.
He has researched the topic for about 13 years.

The lost 116 pages represent a significant gap in Latter-day Saint scripture.
As a child, Don Bradley recognized the oddity of missing such a substantial part of the Book of Mormon.
The later parts of the Book of Mormon often refer back to earlier parts. Understanding the lost pages is crucial for interpreting the existing text.
Without the earlier part (the lost pages), a full understanding of Mormon’s abridgment is impossible.

There are two types of evidence:
- Internal evidence: found within the extant text of the Book of Mormon.
- External evidence: statements and sources outside the Book of Mormon text.
Internal evidence includes:
- The small plates of Nephi (1 Nephi through Words of Mormon) give a brief overview of the same period as the lost pages.
- Flashbacks and echoes in the Book of Mormon text refer to narratives in the lost pages.
- Example: Mosiah 11 mentions a tower built by King Noah on a hill used as a refuge by the children of Nephi, a story not found in the extant text.

Early revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants allude to the lost pages.
D&C 10 mentions that the plates of Nephi had a more extensive account of things covered in the large plates.
Apostle Franklin D. Richards recounted Joseph Smith explaining that the lost pages stated Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh, while Ishmael was a descendant of Ephraim.
The lost 116 pages are the earliest LDS scripture, predating section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Martin Harris requested to take the pages, asking three times.
The first two requests were denied, but the third was conditionally approved if he covenanted to show the pages only to five family members.
Martin was insistent because he missed the entire planting season (mid-April to mid-June) on his farm to assist Joseph with translation.
He also missed his daughter Lucy Harris Jr.’s wedding on May 8.
Martin broke his covenant and showed the manuscript to others, leading to its loss.

Martin left Harmony around June 14, 1828, and arrived in Palmyra around June 18.
The manuscript was lost by early July.
By July 7, Martin was making property settlements, indicating separation from his wife.

Pomeroy Tucker suggested Lucy Harris took and burned the manuscript.
Another rumor claimed it went to a doctor who quoted it to patients.
Martin Harris initially suspected his wife, Lucy, but later believed she gave it to someone else.
Martin Harris Jr. reported that Lucy denied any involvement on her deathbed, convincing Martin of her innocence.
The theory that Lucy burned the manuscript emerged in the 1850s, gaining confidence over time, which is the opposite of what would be expected if the information were accurate.
Joseph Smith Sr. stated in an 1830 interview that the manuscript would someday come forth.

Mark Hoffman, a notorious forger, attempted to forge the lost 116 pages near the end of his career.
Hoffman claimed to have found a descendent of a Palmyra resident with the manuscript but his “notes” from the manuscript were inaccurate and inconsistent with known details.

More clues will likely be found in the extant text and other sources.
Publication of the book may lead to people sharing new information from family journals or other documents.

Joseph Smith referred to the lost manuscript as “The Book of Lehi” in the 1830 preface to the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Lehi was an abridgment made by Mormon, not written by Lehi himself.
It covers about the first 450 years of Nephite history, more than just Lehi’s life.
There may have been multiple books within the lost manuscript, including a Book of Mosiah, there was originally numbered chapter 3, and there was no named “book of Mosiah” in there.

The number 116 may not be accurate.
It could be an oversimplification by Joseph Smith, based on the length of the small plates that replaced the lost manuscript.
Martin Harris took dictation for about two months, with other scribes assisting before him, making it unlikely only 116 pages were produced.
The lost manuscript covered about half of Mormon’s abridgement (920 years), suggesting it was longer than 116 pages.
Emer Harris, Martin’s brother, stated that Martin scribed “near 200 pages” before the theft.
The 116 pages may refer to 116 sides (52 sheets), with the manuscript potentially being around 232 pages or 116 sheets.

Lehi's story shares similarities with Moses' exodus.
Lehi sees a pillar of fire, undertakes a three-day journey, and is led to a promised land.
Joseph Smith Sr.’s interview with Fayette Lapham adds more parallels.

Fayette Lapham, a Palmyra resident, interviewed Joseph Smith Sr. in 1830.
The interview provides details about the Book of Mormon that align with later discoveries.
Joseph Smith Sr. recounted Lehi constructing a tabernacle during their travels, a detail not in the extant Book of Mormon text.
Lehi consulted the Liahona within the tabernacle.

The tabernacle served as a portable temple for Lehi’s family since they were between stationary temples.
It allowed them to live by the Law of Moses, which required a sanctuary for certain sacrifices.
Though some believe the Mosaic law didn't allow other forms of worship outside of the temple of Solomon, Lehi was of the understanding that his family were to live the Law of Moses, they needed their own structure since the temple of Jerusalem was ranacked, he built another structure.

Zedekiah’s reign began after Nebuchadnezzar II sieged Jerusalem and plundered the temple, taking away sacred treasures, including possibly the Ark of the Covenant.
This desecration may have led Lehi to believe the temple of Jerusalem was no longer sacred.

The journey of the interpreters from the Jaredites to the Nephites is an unanswered question in the Book of Mormon.
Fayette Lapham’s interview provides a story: the Nephites, while traveling, are led by the Liahona to the interpreters. They consult God in the tabernacle to learn how to use them.
The Lord instructs them to put the object on their face and put their face in animal skin, enabling them to see anything.
The Lord asks "What is that in your hand?" which evokes Exodus 4:2, Moses's staff.
Moses veiled his face after receiving the Ten Commandments and wrapped sacred relics in badger skins.