The Long Ending of Mark in the Book of Mormon | Ep. 1632 | LDS Discussions Ep. 15

The Long Ending of Mark in the Book of Mormon: When Late Texts Appear in Ancient Records

What happens when textual scholars discover that a passage cited in the Book of Mormon was actually added to the Bible centuries after it was originally written? This question sits at the heart of a growing body of scholarly analysis examining the relationship between the King James Bible and Joseph Smith's 1830 translation. The long ending of Mark, specifically Mark 16:9–20, represents a concrete case study in how biblical scholarship and Book of Mormon truth claims intersect, raising fundamental questions about the historical authenticity of Latter-day Saint scripture.

The discovery is straightforward: scholarly consensus now recognizes that Mark 16:9–20 does not appear in the earliest and most reliable biblical manuscripts. Yet these same verses appear verbatim in the Book of Mormon. Understanding why this matters requires grappling with uncomfortable historical realities that challenge both traditional Mormon apologetics and conventional evangelical assumptions about biblical reliability.

Background: What Textual Scholars Actually Know About Mark's Ending

Modern biblical scholarship distinguishes between what the original Gospel of Mark contained and what later copyists added to it. This isn't speculation, it's grounded in the oldest surviving manuscript evidence.

The earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts of Mark, including the fourth-century Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, end at Mark 16:8, where the women flee the empty tomb in fear. Mark 16:9–20, which includes resurrection appearances and the commission to preach the gospel, appears only in later manuscripts, typically dating to the fifth century or beyond.