On E0016 of Let's Get Real with Stephen Jones, I sit down with John Hilton III and discuss the FBI investigation that may prove Joseph Smith DIDN'T write the Book of Mormon.

Note—some editing was done in the discussion around the FBI and the Unabomber. For the record, here’s what John says about his grandfather’s involvement:

“I first heard about wordprints in my teen years; I learned about them in connection with the “Unabomber”—a twentieth-century terrorist who planted sixteen bombs that killed three people and injured nearly two dozen others. From 1978 to 1995 the Unabomber was one of the most wanted criminals in the United States but managed to evade local and state police—even the FBI. In 1995 the Unabomber demanded that a paper he had written about the dangers of technology be published in major newspapers. The New York Times and the Washington Post agreed to publish it, hoping that somebody could identify his writing style, and that’s exactly what happened. The Unabomber’s brother recognized the style of prose and tipped off the FBI; on April 3, 1996, the Unabomber was arrested.

Just before the Unabomber’s brother contacted the FBI, the FBI had begun working with a BYU statistics professor who specialized in wordprints. They wanted him to do a stylometric analysis on the Unabomber’s essay and compare it with their list of suspects. The professor they contacted was John Hilton (the first)—my grandfather! I remember the excitement I felt when I learned that my grandfather’s work was contributing to fighting crime.

As fascinated as I was with the work my grandfather did with the FBI, I was even more intrigued when I learned of the work he and others were doing on wordprints and the Book of Mormon. Their initial studies on wordprints in the Book of Mormon looked at sample sizes of at least five thousand words and examined “the use of the small, function words, i.e., the, and, but, of, etc.,” in an effort to determine whether “different authors did indeed write the various strands within the Book of Mormon.” They found that it was statistically indefensible to claim that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon.”

From this episode, you will learn how stylometry, unveils the complex tapestry of voices within the BOM, suggesting a divine collaboration beyond Joseph Smith's capacity. You will learn of Joseph Smith's translation process, highlighting his divine gift and the remarkable efficiency with which the BOM was translated, reinforcing our appreciation for this sacred text.

John Hilton III is a professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU. Together, we explore the Book of Mormon (BOM) through the lens of stylometry and faith. With a Master's degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. from BYU in Education, John brings a unique blend of academic rigor and spiritual insight to the study of the BOM, as showcased in his work, "Voices in the Book of Mormon."

Hilton shares personal reflections and insights from applying his grandfather's research, enhancing his faith and understanding of the BOM's spiritual messages.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:05 - "He statically proved Joseph Smith Oliver Cowdrey, did not write The Book of Mormon"
01:49 - What is the Stylometry?
To learn more about stylometry here:
- Is It Possible That a Single Author Wrote the Book of Mormon? (Knowhy #399)
-    • Is It Possible That a Single Author W...  
04:12 - What would be the likelihood that Joseph Smith could pull this off?
11:35 - "When I was confronted with new facts . . . it was helpful to have an intellectual backdrop."
18:33 - "Scholars have found that word prints are detectable even through translation."
19:18 - Different Voice Distinctions | "My son discovered this distinction when he was 11 years old."
24:45 - Samual The Lamanite's Voice
39:02 - Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's Voice in the Book of Mormon
49:03 - "Some people say, 'I feel really close to Heavenly Father, but I don't feel close to Jesus Christ.'"
52:43 - "How do all of the voices harmonize in the Book of Mormon?"
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Disclaimer:
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE INDIVIDUAL CREATORS AND GUESTS ALONE AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OFFICIAL POSITION OF SCRIPTURE CENTRAL OR THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.