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The Key to the Keystone: How Apocryphal Texts Unlock the Book of Mormon's Brass Plates
Over 2,000 years ago, a band of desert travelers huddled against the sandy blasts of the Arabian peninsula. They clutched in their arms a metallic book and absconded away to preserve it against the impending doom of the Babylonian invasion. This treasured text would become the source material for the Book of Mormon, one of the most influential books in American history. Though critics have tried (and spectacularly failed) to explain its origins, the Book of Mormon owes everything to this mysterious stolen text. Yet that ancient brass book wasn't the only treasure to emerge from the sands of the Near East. Years after the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, a cascade of newly discovered apocryphal texts would appear like voices from the dust. Using these miraculous new sources, independent researcher Jonah Barnes has used paleography and philology to reconstruct the content of Lehi's brass plates. His research will answer questions such Which books were on the brass plates stolen by Lehi in 597 BC? Can we read them? Who corrupted the Old Testament canon? And how badly? Who was Lucifer, and why does the Bible say so little about him? Who was Eve, and why are the Christian creeds so hard on women? Who was the prophet Abinadi? Where did he come from? How did the prophet Isaiah die? Who killed him and why? Who murdered the prophet Jeremiah? And what for? Why does the Book of Mormon sound too Messianic and not more Mosaic? Do the apocrypha support the authority of the Bible? Or do they support the Book of Mormon? Do anti-Mormons think Joseph Smith was a time-traveler? Do they think Elvis is still alive? Filled with unique parallels and scriptural insights with recently discovered apocryphal works, the The Key to the Keystone will unlock the Book of Mormon and change your view of the mission of Jesus Christ. And it might make you chuckle along the way.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2024
86 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 1, 2025
People experience faith in many different ways. Some are simply able to believe and as my friend once said when shown archeological evidence purported to prove the Bible, "I don't need to see this, because if I believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then I don't need proof for any of the other Biblical events and miracles". Another way of experiencing faith is through research and when it comes to ancient scriptural texts of all religions, there are many uncertainties, controversies about translations, linguistics and a host of other things mysteries. This book will be especially appealing to people who like to study history, enjoy solving puzzles and wondering about all the events that have shaped history. The author outlines in detail how the brass plates as mentioned in The Book of Mormon have numerous similarities to ancient apocryphal records that were not known about when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and were excluded from the Bible used today. The story is fascinating and helped me see scriptures that I have read many times with a whole new perspective. While some of his comments where sarcastic and perhaps overly critical of how the Bible in its current form came about, it does not distract from the powerful message that there is a lot of connection between the scriptures in the Book or Mormon and the apocrypha, which researchers are just beginning to understand. I think people of all backgrounds would enjoy the book.
July 16, 2025
A must read. The author sheds light on so many topics.
January 21, 2025
This book answered a lot of questions pertaining to the transmission history of the OLD Testament. We already knew there were many books that were considered legit in the first few centuries yet were later rejected BEFORE the New Testament was canonized. This book identifies the vast “cloud of witnesses” that were silenced before the canonization of the OLD Testament - in fact, in most cases before the Babylonian exile.
The Good News is that these early witnesses of Jesus Christ have been being found and translated for the last 2 centuries, and are now readily available. (He includes references and websites for access where relevant.)
This explains the many teachings of Christian doctrines found in the Book of Mormon BEFORE the coming of Christ - their Brass Plates had the COMPLETE canon.
The Good News is that these early witnesses of Jesus Christ have been being found and translated for the last 2 centuries, and are now readily available. (He includes references and websites for access where relevant.)
This explains the many teachings of Christian doctrines found in the Book of Mormon BEFORE the coming of Christ - their Brass Plates had the COMPLETE canon.
May 8, 2025
Very interesting book. The author is a bit too sure in their assertion that almost all dating practices for apocryphal writings is wrong. Regardless, it would still make a strong case for early christian beliefs aligning with many Book of Mormon teachings. The book brings this up at the very end, but there is A LOT in these apocryphal writings that does NOT line up with Book of Mormon teachings, and I wish there was some more discussion on how that might be reconciled.
January 18, 2025
Barnes had a very interesting take on how extra-Biblical texts influenced Book of Mormon record-keepers. I thought he made a very good case. What I had a problem with were tangent assertions he made that detracted from his overall research and were serious enough to reduce his book to a 2-star. A couple of very questionable things in his book shocked me especially that his editor would let them slide, which had nothing to do with his quasi-humorous-but-scathing and snarky tone.
The first was his ludicrous man-statement in chapter 3 "Redeeming Eve" about how women are. He says, "Not only was Eve the first one to decipher the puzzle, she also felt terrible for the trouble it caused. This has got to be the most womanly thing in the world. My wife will slave over a meal and then apologize that it wasn’t something else. Or she’ll feel bad that our daughter scraped her knee, saying, 'I should have told her to be more careful.' Eve was the first Mom: she did the right thing and avoided taking credit. She gave all of us life and still felt bad about our trials. She could be demanding praise, but instead she apologizes." These are such an outrageous assertions that I don't know where to begin. Not only does Eve NOT feel terrible for the trouble her decision caused, she was glad she did it. In Moses 5:11 she says, "And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God gives unto all the obedient." That doesn't sound like sorrow. It sounds like defending her decision, not apologizing for it. Then he throws his wife, and by implication, all women under the bus by saying "avoiding taking credit" is doing "the right thing." Women avoiding taking credit is NOT "the right thing." It's a thing that is learned behavior and it's a problem. His wife apologizes that her food wasn't something else? His wife apologizes when someone else gets hurt through no fault of her own? She didn't do this because it's the 'right thing to do.' It's NOT natural. It's learned behavior and those kinds of things are unhealthy ways for women to behave, not be held up as something to emulate. Any man who thinks it's "right" for women to "avoid taking credit," or apologize for their offerings, needs to seek enlightenment and reevaluate his misunderstanding of how things are. I'm still shocked that the paragraph made it past his wife. He humiliated her in public in perpetuity as long as people own his book.
The second thing was his factually false assertion in Chapter 8 "Voices from the Dust" that Abinadi was the "last Nephite prince." I have believed myself for the last decade or so, and agree with one point of Barnes' that Abinadi was the long-lost brother of Amaleki; however, regardless of whether he is or isn't in that family, Abinadom, and Amaleki are (and Abinadi would be) descendants of Jacob (prophetic line), not Nephi (royal line). Jacob is Nephi's brother, not his son. By the time they are this far removed from their foreparents, the Jacobites are barely related to the Nephites--15th cousins or something. He does start the paragraph with "If" yet continues as though it's a reality saying, "If Abinadi were a prince from the line of Nephi, and if he were the rightful heir to the plates after Amaleki ended up childless, then Abinadi’s death would have meant the severing of the Nephite royal line. Amaleki was forced to transfer the plates to righteous King Benjamin, the princes’ grandfather, imbuing his line with kingly authority from Nephi. The sons of Mosiah had their kingship bolstered by Amaleki’s bequeathal of the brass plates. This doubly royal bestowal was only possible because Abinadi vanished a generation before. For decades, no one knew whether Abinadi, the last Nephite prince, was alive or dead. The death of the last heir to Nephi’s line would have been a cause for great mourning among the fellow royal sons of Mosiah. A royal house had fallen because it preached the truths of the brass plates." It was laughable to read Barnes asserting that the Sons of Mosiah were mourning because Abinadi was a long-lost Nephite prince who had been killed or that he was standing in front of evil-Noah-royal-usurper as the last legitimate "Nephite prince." It's so easily disprovable just by reading the provenance in the Book of Mormon itself, that I don't see how he made such a strange assertion. At the very least, Abinadi was a prophet who had been killed. It's more plausible that he was familiar with Isaiah because he was part of the prophetic record-keeper family. Ammon (the princes et. al.) are mourning for a fallen prophet in the same way I mourn when a prophet is killed or dies even though I'm not related. Don Bradley makes a stronger case for the end of the Nephite monarchy and the rise of Mosiah1 in his book "The Lost 116 Pages." Barnes turned what otherwise would have been an enlightening read into a wary and skeptical read due to assertions he made that weren't pertinent to his overall thesis and shouldn't have even been part of the book.
The first was his ludicrous man-statement in chapter 3 "Redeeming Eve" about how women are. He says, "Not only was Eve the first one to decipher the puzzle, she also felt terrible for the trouble it caused. This has got to be the most womanly thing in the world. My wife will slave over a meal and then apologize that it wasn’t something else. Or she’ll feel bad that our daughter scraped her knee, saying, 'I should have told her to be more careful.' Eve was the first Mom: she did the right thing and avoided taking credit. She gave all of us life and still felt bad about our trials. She could be demanding praise, but instead she apologizes." These are such an outrageous assertions that I don't know where to begin. Not only does Eve NOT feel terrible for the trouble her decision caused, she was glad she did it. In Moses 5:11 she says, "And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God gives unto all the obedient." That doesn't sound like sorrow. It sounds like defending her decision, not apologizing for it. Then he throws his wife, and by implication, all women under the bus by saying "avoiding taking credit" is doing "the right thing." Women avoiding taking credit is NOT "the right thing." It's a thing that is learned behavior and it's a problem. His wife apologizes that her food wasn't something else? His wife apologizes when someone else gets hurt through no fault of her own? She didn't do this because it's the 'right thing to do.' It's NOT natural. It's learned behavior and those kinds of things are unhealthy ways for women to behave, not be held up as something to emulate. Any man who thinks it's "right" for women to "avoid taking credit," or apologize for their offerings, needs to seek enlightenment and reevaluate his misunderstanding of how things are. I'm still shocked that the paragraph made it past his wife. He humiliated her in public in perpetuity as long as people own his book.
The second thing was his factually false assertion in Chapter 8 "Voices from the Dust" that Abinadi was the "last Nephite prince." I have believed myself for the last decade or so, and agree with one point of Barnes' that Abinadi was the long-lost brother of Amaleki; however, regardless of whether he is or isn't in that family, Abinadom, and Amaleki are (and Abinadi would be) descendants of Jacob (prophetic line), not Nephi (royal line). Jacob is Nephi's brother, not his son. By the time they are this far removed from their foreparents, the Jacobites are barely related to the Nephites--15th cousins or something. He does start the paragraph with "If" yet continues as though it's a reality saying, "If Abinadi were a prince from the line of Nephi, and if he were the rightful heir to the plates after Amaleki ended up childless, then Abinadi’s death would have meant the severing of the Nephite royal line. Amaleki was forced to transfer the plates to righteous King Benjamin, the princes’ grandfather, imbuing his line with kingly authority from Nephi. The sons of Mosiah had their kingship bolstered by Amaleki’s bequeathal of the brass plates. This doubly royal bestowal was only possible because Abinadi vanished a generation before. For decades, no one knew whether Abinadi, the last Nephite prince, was alive or dead. The death of the last heir to Nephi’s line would have been a cause for great mourning among the fellow royal sons of Mosiah. A royal house had fallen because it preached the truths of the brass plates." It was laughable to read Barnes asserting that the Sons of Mosiah were mourning because Abinadi was a long-lost Nephite prince who had been killed or that he was standing in front of evil-Noah-royal-usurper as the last legitimate "Nephite prince." It's so easily disprovable just by reading the provenance in the Book of Mormon itself, that I don't see how he made such a strange assertion. At the very least, Abinadi was a prophet who had been killed. It's more plausible that he was familiar with Isaiah because he was part of the prophetic record-keeper family. Ammon (the princes et. al.) are mourning for a fallen prophet in the same way I mourn when a prophet is killed or dies even though I'm not related. Don Bradley makes a stronger case for the end of the Nephite monarchy and the rise of Mosiah1 in his book "The Lost 116 Pages." Barnes turned what otherwise would have been an enlightening read into a wary and skeptical read due to assertions he made that weren't pertinent to his overall thesis and shouldn't have even been part of the book.
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December 11, 2024The Key to the Keystone: How Apocryphal Texts Unlock the Book of Mormon's Brass Plates by Jonah R. Barnes is exactly what its title says: a book explaining how the brass plates from the Book of Mormon had some parts of recently discovered apocryphal works. “If it is extra-biblical,” Barnes says, “maligned by creedists, banned by state churches, mocked by scholars or criminally neglected by Latter-Day Saints, then we will here call it ‘apocrypha’” (19), .
My star rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars because it changed my perspective on the Old Testament and its (most likely) edited text. An example is . There are a few things I disagree with Barnes, one being that the direct family line of “brass plate holders” were royalty, but I can still see his side on this topic. While it is not perfect (because nothing is), it helps Latter-Day Saints understand why things differ between the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I would recommend this to anyone interested in wanting to know why the Old Testamentlies differs and why the apocrypha is credible.
My star rating for this book is 5 out of 5 stars because it changed my perspective on the Old Testament and its (most likely) edited text. An example is . There are a few things I disagree with Barnes, one being that the direct family line of “brass plate holders” were royalty, but I can still see his side on this topic. While it is not perfect (because nothing is), it helps Latter-Day Saints understand why things differ between the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I would recommend this to anyone interested in wanting to know why the Old Testament
June 14, 2025
After reading this book I realize how much I take for granted additional scripture besides the Bible. I appreciated the examples posed and thought that went behind the scenes. I went in to the book hoping to better understand apocryphal texts and I walked away wanting to cherish any time God lovingly speaks to His children.
Jonah has a sense of humor which makes it super readable but also holds thoughtful authority. I appreciated his detailed explanation of several topics, including the Deuteronomistic reforms, repentance, and the law replaces the Messiah. I felt at times a little lost through some of the apocryphal texts but that is because I have not personally read any of them yet.
Jonah has a sense of humor which makes it super readable but also holds thoughtful authority. I appreciated his detailed explanation of several topics, including the Deuteronomistic reforms, repentance, and the law replaces the Messiah. I felt at times a little lost through some of the apocryphal texts but that is because I have not personally read any of them yet.
July 3, 2025
This is one of my favorite reads this year. Jonah did a great job distilling the features of the Book of Mormon referred to as "the lost plain and precious" truths. Truths about the reality of Jesus Christ's eternal presence in Prophecy from Adam forward, the reality of Lucifer's role as a cunning, baffling and powerful adversary as well as Eve's crucial role as the Mother of all living and important thoughtful decision in the Garden of Eden. Thank you Jonah for taking a good hard look at what has been discovered in the Aprocrypha and connecting it to the Brass Plates. I know there is so much more to be researched and learned.
October 20, 2025
This book blew me away. I had no idea that 40+ (Old Testament-era) apocryphal writings have been unearthed since 1820. All have been discredited by the mainstream, Christian elite because they talk about a Messiah, the Son of God, to be born in the flesh and sacrificed for man. It turns out that these 40 books of uncannonized scriptures mirror the writings of ancient prophets quoted in the Brass Plates. How could this be, except both the authors of the apocryphal books and the Brass plates are truly ancient and truly inspired by God?
August 22, 2025
Barnes ties apocryphal writings to the brass plates, the religious history and testimony of prophets from Adam until the plates left Jerusalem. I had honestly (and sadly) never really considered very deeply what was on the brass plates. But the comparison of apocrypha and the Bible make it clear that the Book of Mormon didn't come from the Bible.
This is one of the best reads of this year. And the author is very funny. It makes this book very accessible and readable.
This is one of the best reads of this year. And the author is very funny. It makes this book very accessible and readable.
October 23, 2025
Excellent book!! Anyone and everyone should read Jonah’s books. Not only is he intelligent and puts in the work with all of his siting but he also does and awesome job with keeping you engaging and genuinely making you laugh out loud. Loved this book and his lost gems. Please do yourself a favor and read this. It strengthened my testimony!
December 15, 2024
Excellent!!! Barnes gives insight into the Brass Plates by drawing from apocryphal Christian texts. This sheds an fascinating perspective on the Book of Mormon and the role of Joseph Smith. Written in a very casual, non-academic style, very accessible.
January 1, 2025
10/10
I don’t think I’ve laughed as much while listening to a church related book in a long time! (yes I listened to it. The author actually narrated the book, so it makes it even funnier)
People may think it’s too snarky, but it was a perfect mix of serious and humor I enjoy.
I don’t think I’ve laughed as much while listening to a church related book in a long time! (yes I listened to it. The author actually narrated the book, so it makes it even funnier)
People may think it’s too snarky, but it was a perfect mix of serious and humor I enjoy.
November 25, 2024
This was totally amazing!! Sooo great!! I think this is one of those books everyone should read! And of course the bonus content is priceless! Go get a copy right now!! So jazzed about this book!
November 27, 2024
Beware: After reading and pondering this book, you will never again read the Old Testament (or any canon) the same.
April 7, 2025
I would have loved more detail into the author's suppositions. Also the snark is very strong. But I came away believing the hypothesis.
April 8, 2025
Wow. 🤩
June 15, 2025
Very compelling evidence and commentary in support of the veracity of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration beginning with Joseph Smith.
August 8, 2025
One of the most important books I've recently read.
October 6, 2025
Not only is this book well researched, but it is also well written and fun to read! I highly recommend this book!
October 7, 2025
An absolute gem of a book and must read for anyone who believes in Christ.
October 20, 2025
Sooo interesting but sooo speculative. Dare I call it a fiction book?
January 15, 2025
This book has a humorous bent as he discusses a very serious topic - what is missing from the Old Testament scriptures as canonized in our present day bible translations.
Here are a few things that I highlighted. (You should be able to see all of my highlights.)
In the light of new understanding, some former heroes may become villains (like King Josiah) and some villains will become heroes (like Eve). (14%)
“Scholars agree that the Deuteronomic history of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings was inserted into the Bible after the Babylonian Exile in order to make sense of Jerusalem’s downfall.” (53%)
In other words, much of the Old Testament was constructed by scribes to exalt the Law and downplay the Temple, the priesthood, and prophets. Instead of a Temple, all we needed was the scribes. It should be no wonder that apocryphal texts that offer a counternarrative to the scribes’—emphasis on the Temple, the garment, the Messiah, the covenants, the ordinances, etc.—were banished from the canon. (53%)
King Josiah was just eight years old when he was made king by these wicked people.[486] The kingdom obviously wasn’t ruled by little Josie, but by his handlers. (58%)
God didn’t call Jeremiah at just any time or place; He called Jeremiah to preach during the era of King Josiah, which is criminally misunderstood by most Bible readers. (84%)
As discussed in chapter 6, King Josiah took the throne at eight years old, while most kids his age were watching whatever the ancient Judean equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons was. Such a young kid obviously wasn’t calling all the shots. The court must have been full of manipulators. (84%)
Here are a few things that I highlighted. (You should be able to see all of my highlights.)
In the light of new understanding, some former heroes may become villains (like King Josiah) and some villains will become heroes (like Eve). (14%)
“Scholars agree that the Deuteronomic history of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings was inserted into the Bible after the Babylonian Exile in order to make sense of Jerusalem’s downfall.” (53%)
In other words, much of the Old Testament was constructed by scribes to exalt the Law and downplay the Temple, the priesthood, and prophets. Instead of a Temple, all we needed was the scribes. It should be no wonder that apocryphal texts that offer a counternarrative to the scribes’—emphasis on the Temple, the garment, the Messiah, the covenants, the ordinances, etc.—were banished from the canon. (53%)
King Josiah was just eight years old when he was made king by these wicked people.[486] The kingdom obviously wasn’t ruled by little Josie, but by his handlers. (58%)
God didn’t call Jeremiah at just any time or place; He called Jeremiah to preach during the era of King Josiah, which is criminally misunderstood by most Bible readers. (84%)
As discussed in chapter 6, King Josiah took the throne at eight years old, while most kids his age were watching whatever the ancient Judean equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons was. Such a young kid obviously wasn’t calling all the shots. The court must have been full of manipulators. (84%)
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