Apocryphal texts and the Book of Mormon
What Was on the Brass Plates?
Years after the Book of Mormon came out, a cascade of apocryphal texts turned up like voices from the dust. Jonah R. Barnes lines them up against the Book of Mormon and argues that some of them share a family tree with Lehi's brass plates.
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The story behind the book
Why Jonah wrote this
There's a big gaping hole in the story. We know there were brass plates. We just don't know exactly what was on them. Jonah, with his ever curious mind, asked that question and went searching for answers.
The Book of Mormon's earliest chapters tell about a group of Josephites who retrieved certain mysterious "plates of brass," a book so important it was apparently worth killing for.
As we will see, influence from the brass plates permeates nearly every famous sermon given by Alma, or Lehi, or Nephi, or Jacob. Captain Moroni reads from them, and King Benjamin bases his famous speech on them.
"The brass plates are the key that unlocks the Book of Mormon."
Jonah R. Barnes
Comes with your book
6+
Hours of bonus videos
Jonah Barnes discusses the content of every chapter and shares bonus material that was not included in the book.
The audiobook
Listen to the book as well as read it.
How to get them
The audiobook and bonus content can be accessed upon receiving the physical copy of the book. You can scan the QR codes at the end of any chapter to gain access.
What you'll take with you
When you read this book, you'll...
"I now hold the Book of Mormon in an entirely new light."
Thomas Messenger, reader
Ask what was on the plates
Which books were on the brass plates Lehi took in 597 BC? Can we read them?
Hear the plates in the sermons
Jonah traces the plates through famous sermons by Alma, Lehi, Nephi and Jacob, and through Captain Moroni and King Benjamin.
Start on the apocrypha
Jonah compares the Book of Mormon with apocryphal texts. One reader calls it "a great first step to understanding apocryphal writings."
Go deeper into the stories
Who was Lucifer, and why does the Bible say so little about him? Who was Eve? How did Isaiah die? Questions like these are all in the book.
Learn something new about what you believe
Readers say it reinforces what they already believed, with information they never had before.
Enjoy Jonah's writing style
Jonah has an intelligent humor that comes across in his writing and will entertain the reader along the way.
Who this book is for
This book is for
- Latter-day Saints who want to read the Book of Mormon alongside the apocrypha
- Readers curious about the apocrypha who want somewhere to start
- Anyone who has wondered what was on the brass plates
- People who want to dive deeper into ancient texts
- Those who have always been curious about the apocrypha
- Readers who want to see the Book of Mormon in a new light
What people are saying about The Key to the Keystone
Extra evidence that the Book of Mormon is the word of god! Great insights from extra-biblical texts that builds your testimony of the restoration. Good read with good ol' Jonah Barnes humor
Kyle Folsom
10/02/2026
I haven't even finished this book yet but I already love it so so much! It not only helps to reinforce the beliefs that I have, but helps me understand why there are so many obstacles to others understanding those beliefs. Hopefully it'll help me better relate to and explain my beliefs to others when opportunity arises.
Rachael Galvez
07/23/2026
I now hold the Book of Mormon in an entirely new light. The authors delivery is not only insightful, but entertaining. It reinforces what I already believed, but with information I never had before. "Redeeming Eve" is my favorite chapter and it gave me more respect for out First Mother. Powerful!
Thomas Messenger
07/22/2026
Excellent book! This is a great first step to understanding apocryphal writings and connecting different gospel principles with them. Easy to read and fascinating. This author did a lot of research and I'm grateful!
S Laub
06/07/2026
I only have have 2words, "must read." Yall will enjoy it.
Anonymous
05/16/2026
The Key to the Keystone
How Apocryphal Texts Unlock the Book of Mormon's Brass Plates
by Jonah R. Barnes · Foreword by D. John Butler
Full book description
Includes:
- 6+ hours of bonus videos with author Jonah Barnes discussing the content of every chapter and sharing bonus material that was not included in the book.
- Audio Book
DISCLAIMER: The audiobook and bonus content can be accessed upon receiving the physical copy of the book. You can scan the QR codes at the end of any chapter to gain access.
Summary of "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 as:
- 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.