Joseph Smith's Backdated Prophecies w/ Radio Free Mormon | Ep. 1730 | LDS Discussions Ep. 35

Joseph Smith’s claims to prophetic authority rest heavily on the idea that he could foresee events before they happened. Yet when historians examine the timeline of his revelations, the pattern that emerges looks less like prediction and more like retrofitting. The most striking example appears in the Book of Mormon itself, where an ancient prophet seems to describe with uncanny precision the 1828 meeting between Martin Harris and Columbia University professor Charles Anthon. The problem, according to biblical scholars and historians, is that this Joseph Smith backdated prophecy bears all the hallmarks of a text written after the fact.

What Backdating Looks Like in Religious Texts

Biblical scholars have long recognized a literary device called vaticinium ex eventu, or prophecy after the event. The Book of Daniel offers the clearest template. Chapter 11 presents what appears to be sweeping predictions about royal succession from the sixth century BCE through the second century, complete with specific military campaigns and political alliances. The details remain accurate until suddenly, around verse 40, the precision collapses into vague generalities that never materialize. This sudden shift suggests the author was writing during the Maccabean period, recounting history they knew while guessing about a future they did not.

Joseph Smith operated within this same tradition, though he claimed his texts were ancient. In the Mormon Stories Podcast episode examining these issues, Radio Free Mormon and host John Dehlin outline how Smith adapted biblical passages to match his contemporary circumstances.

The Anthon Visit and Isaiah 29

The centerpiece of Smith’s backdated prophecy involves Isaiah 29, which speaks of a "sealed book" that learned men cannot read but which an unlearned man will deliver. Smith embedded an expanded version of this passage into 2 Nephi 27, adding specific details about the book being delivered to a learned man who would declare he cannot read it because it is sealed, followed by the book being delivered to one who is not learned.