Benjamín Urrutia
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Urrutia is an author
and scholar. With Guy Davenport
, Urrutia edited The Logia of Yeshua
, which collected what Urrutia and Davenport consider to be Jesus
' authentic sayings from a variety of canonical
and non-canonical sources. Urrutia interprets Jesus' mission as a leadership role in the "Israelite
nonviolent resistance
to Roman
oppression".
. At Brigham Young University
, he studied under Hugh Nibley
. Learning from Nibley that the Book of Mormon names Shiblon
and Shiblom may be derived from the Arabic root shibl, "lion cub," Urrutia connected this to the "Jaguar Cub" imagery of the Olmec
people.
Urrutia has also elaborated on Nibley's argument that the word Makhshava
, usually translated as "thought," is more correctly translated as "plan." Urrutia has made some contributions to the study of Egyptian Names in the Book of Mormon.
Over the years, Urrutia has written and published a number of articles, letters, poems and reviews on matters related to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien
.
Benjamin Urrutia contributed stories to every volume of the LDSF series - anthologies of Science Fiction with LDS Themes. He edited the second and third volumes of the series.
Urrutia has been a book reviewer since 1970 and a film critic since 1981. As of 2011, he is a book reviewer and the principal film critic for The Peaceable Table. He is a strong advocate of Christian vegetarianism
.
Urrutia has the condition known as Anosmia
: a total lack of a sense of smell.
. Josephus
, who relates this episode, does not say who the leader of this resistance was, but shortly afterwards states that Pontius Pilate
had Jesus crucified. (Many scholars believe this passage of Josephus may have been slightly but significantly altered by later editors.)
The Gospel of the Hebrews
says that the suggestion to be baptized by John came from the mother and brothers of Jesus, and Jesus himself agreed only reluctantly. Contrary to the common opinion, Benjamin Urrutia insists that this version must be the authentic one, because: 1) It is strongly supported by the Criterion of Embarrassment
: Jesus changes his mind, and agrees to somebody else's idea. 2) This Gospel was produced by the community that included the Family of Jesus, and therefore is the most likely to include authentic family traditions.
A Talmudic legend has a Rabbi meeting the Messiah
at the gates of Rome
, where he is binding his wounds among the homeless poor. Asked when he will be coming, the Anointed One replies: "Today!" Perhaps this means: You need not expect a future coming of the Messiah. He is here today. Look for him among the homeless, the wounded, the hungry and oppressed.
In Chapter 8 of the Gospel of John, "the Jews who believed in Jesus" affirm that being Children of Abraham, they have never been slaves. Real Jewish people, on the other hand, remind themselves, at Passover
time, every Shabbath, and throughout the year, that they share their ancestors' experience of slavery in Egypt
. This portion of John is obviously the fictional creation of a Gentile editor who was abysmally ignorant of Jewish culture and religion.
to the first chapter of the Bible
in the article "The Structure of Genesis, Chapter One."
Accepting Jeff Popick's theory that the Forbidden Fruit is a symbolic reference to animal flesh, Benjamin offered an additional argument in favor of this exegesis: "Whether the serpent ... is the 'most subtle' of beasts or not, he certainly is a most carnivorous one. If Mr. Serpent taught our ancestors to eat forbidden food, he taught it by example. And nothing he eats is vegan or kosher."
Urrutia found intriguing connections between the Israelite hero Joseph and the Greek hero Theseus
. These include carnivorous cattle and the number seven.
Urrutia found and pointed out some interesting similarities between Nimrod
and pharaoh Amenhotep III
(known as Nimmuria in the Amarna Letters
).
Urrutia examined Kabbalistic and other sources and found evidence Yahweh
was anciently considered the Son of El
.
Urrutia pointed out parallels between the relationship of the Nuer to the Dinka with that of the Israelites to the Canaanites, and suggested a glottochronological approach.
Urrutia wrote a brief article on the Egyptian religious
ritual of the Opening of the Mouth
. In it, he traces common themes between the Opening of the Mouth and Psalm 51, such as opening the mouth (or of the lips, in Psalm 51), healing of broken bones, and washing the inner organs with special cleansing spices.
Urrutia pointed out that there are hints in the Bible that the Biblical authors may have thought that not all the sons of Zedekiah
perished in the Chaldea
n invasion.
In 1984, Urrutia produced the first translation ever of the 'Spangler Nodule', an iron nodule allegedly found in Ohio in 1800 with an inscription carved on it. According to Urrutia, the text says YHWWY (which, Urrutia suggests, may be a variant of the Tetragrammaton
).
, but was disillusioned by the French anthropologist's too-easy acceptance of anti-Mormon slanders.
In a review of a book that presents cases of children who have made substantial and even complete recovery from Autism
with a dairy-free diet, Benjamin Urrutia avers that considering 1) that most humans cannot digest cow's milk, and 2) that "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure," "all parents should cease and desist from feeding cow's milk to their infants and children before they develop autism (not to mention childhood-onset diabetes)."
wrote: "In general, Davenport and scholar Benjamin Urrutia translate as plainly as possible, often giving familiar phrases a contemporary lilt: 'No one can work for two bosses...' Throughout, The Logia of Yeshua freshens familiar New Testament injunctions, encouraging us to think anew about their meanings."
Robert Jonas wrote in the Shambhala Sun: "Davenport and Urrutia must be applauded for their desire to awaken the reader by offering these new, bare translations of Jesus' sayings."
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and scholar. With Guy Davenport
Guy Davenport
Guy Mattison Davenport was an American writer, translator, illustrator, painter, intellectual, and teacher.-Life:...
, Urrutia edited The Logia of Yeshua
The Logia of Yeshua
The Logia of Yeshua, by Guy Davenport and Benjamin Urrutia, published by Counterpoint Press, is a compendium of canonical and extracanonical sayings of Jesus that are considered authentic by the authors. The book won critical praise for its scholarship and poetic language...
, which collected what Urrutia and Davenport consider to be Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' authentic sayings from a variety of canonical
Canonical
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. Canon comes from the greek word κανών kanon, "rule" or "measuring stick" , and is used in various meanings....
and non-canonical sources. Urrutia interprets Jesus' mission as a leadership role in the "Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
to Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
oppression".
Biography
Urrutia lived in Ecuador until 1968, and has since been a resident of the United States of America, except for the period from May 1974 to July 1977, when he lived in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. At Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, he studied under Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Winder Nibley was an American author, Mormon apologist, and professor at Brigham Young University...
. Learning from Nibley that the Book of Mormon names Shiblon
Shiblon
According to the Book of Mormon, Shiblon was a Nephite missionary and record-keeper. He was the second son of Alma the Younger, who was the first chief judge...
and Shiblom may be derived from the Arabic root shibl, "lion cub," Urrutia connected this to the "Jaguar Cub" imagery of the Olmec
Olmec
The Olmec were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco....
people.
Urrutia has also elaborated on Nibley's argument that the word Makhshava
Makhshava
Makhshava is a Hebrew word commonly translated as "thought." Dr. Hugh Nibley, however, maintained that "plan" is a better translation. Biblical passages in which makhshava "definitely should be" translated as "plan" include, according to Dr...
, usually translated as "thought," is more correctly translated as "plan." Urrutia has made some contributions to the study of Egyptian Names in the Book of Mormon.
Over the years, Urrutia has written and published a number of articles, letters, poems and reviews on matters related to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
.
Benjamin Urrutia contributed stories to every volume of the LDSF series - anthologies of Science Fiction with LDS Themes. He edited the second and third volumes of the series.
Urrutia has been a book reviewer since 1970 and a film critic since 1981. As of 2011, he is a book reviewer and the principal film critic for The Peaceable Table. He is a strong advocate of Christian vegetarianism
Christian vegetarianism
Christian vegetarianism is a minority Christian belief based on effecting the compassionate teachings of Jesus, the twelve apostles and the early church to all living beings through vegetarianism or, ideally, veganism...
.
Urrutia has the condition known as Anosmia
Anosmia
Anosmia is a lack of functioning olfaction, or in other words, an inability to perceive odors. Anosmia may be either temporary or permanent. A related term, hyposmia, refers to a decreased ability to smell, while hyperosmia refers to an increased ability to smell. Some people may be anosmic for one...
: a total lack of a sense of smell.
New Testament and Talmud
Urrutia contends that Rabbi Yeshua Bar Abba was the historical Jesus of Nazareth and was the leader of the successful nonviolent Jewish resistance to Pilate's attempt to place Roman eagles — symbols of the worship of Jupiter — on Jerusalem's Temple MountTemple Mount
The Temple Mount, known in Hebrew as , and in Arabic as the Haram Ash-Sharif , is one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been used as a religious site for thousands of years...
. Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, who relates this episode, does not say who the leader of this resistance was, but shortly afterwards states that Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
had Jesus crucified. (Many scholars believe this passage of Josephus may have been slightly but significantly altered by later editors.)
The Gospel of the Hebrews
Gospel of the Hebrews
The Gospel of the Hebrews , commonly shortened from the Gospel according to the Hebrews or simply called the Hebrew Gospel, is a hypothesised lost gospel preserved in fragments within the writings of the Church Fathers....
says that the suggestion to be baptized by John came from the mother and brothers of Jesus, and Jesus himself agreed only reluctantly. Contrary to the common opinion, Benjamin Urrutia insists that this version must be the authentic one, because: 1) It is strongly supported by the Criterion of Embarrassment
Criterion of embarrassment
The criterion of embarrassment, also known as criterion of dissimilarity, is a critical analysis of historical accounts in which accounts embarrassing to the author are presumed to be true because the author would have no reason to invent an embarrassing account about himself...
: Jesus changes his mind, and agrees to somebody else's idea. 2) This Gospel was produced by the community that included the Family of Jesus, and therefore is the most likely to include authentic family traditions.
A Talmudic legend has a Rabbi meeting the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
at the gates of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he is binding his wounds among the homeless poor. Asked when he will be coming, the Anointed One replies: "Today!" Perhaps this means: You need not expect a future coming of the Messiah. He is here today. Look for him among the homeless, the wounded, the hungry and oppressed.
In Chapter 8 of the Gospel of John, "the Jews who believed in Jesus" affirm that being Children of Abraham, they have never been slaves. Real Jewish people, on the other hand, remind themselves, at Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
time, every Shabbath, and throughout the year, that they share their ancestors' experience of slavery in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. This portion of John is obviously the fictional creation of a Gentile editor who was abysmally ignorant of Jewish culture and religion.
Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament
Urrutia applied the Structuralist theories of Claude Lévi-StraussClaude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
to the first chapter of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in the article "The Structure of Genesis, Chapter One."
Accepting Jeff Popick's theory that the Forbidden Fruit is a symbolic reference to animal flesh, Benjamin offered an additional argument in favor of this exegesis: "Whether the serpent ... is the 'most subtle' of beasts or not, he certainly is a most carnivorous one. If Mr. Serpent taught our ancestors to eat forbidden food, he taught it by example. And nothing he eats is vegan or kosher."
Urrutia found intriguing connections between the Israelite hero Joseph and the Greek hero Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
. These include carnivorous cattle and the number seven.
Urrutia found and pointed out some interesting similarities between Nimrod
Nimrod
Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...
and pharaoh Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC or June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC after his father Thutmose IV died...
(known as Nimmuria in the Amarna Letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
).
Urrutia examined Kabbalistic and other sources and found evidence Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
was anciently considered the Son of El
El
EL, El or el may refer to:* El , a Semitic word for "God"; also a senior god mentioned in the Ugarit and Ebla texts found in ancient Syria.* El , a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet* El , the letter L...
.
Urrutia pointed out parallels between the relationship of the Nuer to the Dinka with that of the Israelites to the Canaanites, and suggested a glottochronological approach.
Urrutia wrote a brief article on the Egyptian religious
Egyptian religion
Egyptian religion may refer to:* Modern Religion in Egypt* Ancient Egyptian religion...
ritual of the Opening of the Mouth
Opening of the mouth ceremony
The opening of the mouth ceremony was an ancient Egyptian ritual described in funerary texts such as the Pyramid Texts.-Funerary magic:...
. In it, he traces common themes between the Opening of the Mouth and Psalm 51, such as opening the mouth (or of the lips, in Psalm 51), healing of broken bones, and washing the inner organs with special cleansing spices.
Urrutia pointed out that there are hints in the Bible that the Biblical authors may have thought that not all the sons of Zedekiah
Zedekiah
Zedekiah or Tzidkiyahu was the last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by Babylon. He was installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem to succeed his nephew, Jeconiah, who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and...
perished in the Chaldea
Chaldea
Chaldea or Chaldaea , from Greek , Chaldaia; Akkadian ; Hebrew כשדים, Kaśdim; Aramaic: ܟܐܠܕܘ, Kaldo) was a marshy land located in modern-day southern Iraq which came to briefly rule Babylon...
n invasion.
Ancient Languages
The name Mormon is explained by Urrutia as derived from the Egyptian words Mor ("love") and Mon ("firmly established").In 1984, Urrutia produced the first translation ever of the 'Spangler Nodule', an iron nodule allegedly found in Ohio in 1800 with an inscription carved on it. According to Urrutia, the text says YHWWY (which, Urrutia suggests, may be a variant of the Tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
).
Contemporary Issues
Urrutia was for a time influenced by the Structuralism of Claude Levi-StraussClaude Lévi-Strauss
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist, and has been called, along with James George Frazer, the "father of modern anthropology"....
, but was disillusioned by the French anthropologist's too-easy acceptance of anti-Mormon slanders.
In a review of a book that presents cases of children who have made substantial and even complete recovery from Autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
with a dairy-free diet, Benjamin Urrutia avers that considering 1) that most humans cannot digest cow's milk, and 2) that "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure," "all parents should cease and desist from feeding cow's milk to their infants and children before they develop autism (not to mention childhood-onset diabetes)."
Reception
A reviewer in the The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote: "In general, Davenport and scholar Benjamin Urrutia translate as plainly as possible, often giving familiar phrases a contemporary lilt: 'No one can work for two bosses...' Throughout, The Logia of Yeshua freshens familiar New Testament injunctions, encouraging us to think anew about their meanings."
Robert Jonas wrote in the Shambhala Sun: "Davenport and Urrutia must be applauded for their desire to awaken the reader by offering these new, bare translations of Jesus' sayings."
Publications
- The Logia of YeshuaThe Logia of YeshuaThe Logia of Yeshua, by Guy Davenport and Benjamin Urrutia, published by Counterpoint Press, is a compendium of canonical and extracanonical sayings of Jesus that are considered authentic by the authors. The book won critical praise for its scholarship and poetic language...
: The Sayings of Jesus. Translated and edited in collaboration with Guy Davenport (1996). ISBN 1-887178-70-8
External links
- The Peaceable Table, including a number of articles, cartoons, poems, reviews and stories by Benjamin Urrutia, plus this classic interview:
- Article by Benjamin Urrutia:Interview with Master Yoda."
- According to the website http://howmanyofme.com, there are eight people in the USA named Benjamin Urrutia. This one and seven others.
- Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought website
- Urrutia, Benjamin, at Mormon SF Bibliography: Poetry
- The Lewis Legacy, Kathryn Lindskoog, The C. S. Lewis Foundation for Truth in Publishing June 1, 1997