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Not necessarily meaning to beat a dead horse, but feeling the necessity of doing so, I must mention the common theme found in the efforts by Townsend and others. Namely, that Joseph Smith must have knowingly utilized rare, esoteric, difficult to obtain and nearly unknown source material in his creation of names like Mahijah and Mahujah and likewise correspondingly for other matching textual occurrences such as is found in the Book of Mormon and elsewhere in the Book of Abraham and/or the Book of Moses. Those who cannot explain these deterministic instances of amazingly parallel occurrences to ancient texts stretch exceeding lengths to obtain answers to the conundrum. I’ve seen astonishing but adroitly suggested sources for Joseph’s success in topics ranging from the “rod of iron” to the location of the ancient city of “Nahom.”
(c.f. two articles by Jeff Lindsay: https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/the-great-and-spacious-book-of-mormon-arcade-game-more-curious-works-from-book-of-mormon-critics/ and https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/joseph-and-the-amazing-technicolor-dream-map-part-2-of-2/) Or how he might possibly have generated the full text of the Book of Mormon utilizing a mishmash of agonizingly bizarre and esoteric sources. (c.f. this one by Brian C. Hales: https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/joseph-smith-as-a-book-of-mormon-storyteller/)
The point I make is that what all of these explanations have in common is the absolute certainty that Joseph Smith “cheated.” None of these scholars or disputants feel any remorse in subtracting Joseph’s own explanation from the formula (that it was done by the “gift and power of God.”) Because to admit that, would cause a collapse of all that they hold dear: that Joseph Smith wasn’t inspired, and (on the contrary) uphold the opinions of those supporting him, that the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham and the Book of Moses actually are translations of ancient documents (those literally before him like the plates of the Book of Mormon or those no longer extant, i.e. D&C 93 and the Book of Moses,) making Joseph Smith exactly what he said he was… a recipient of the “gift and power of God.”
As the Angel Moroni testified, that forever after those who beheld his name would fall within two camps, the believers and the naysayers, for as the angel told him, your “…name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues…”
Thank you for a very comprehensive review of Colby Townsend’s hypothesis. It was very interesting and worthwhile!