Studies of the Book of Mormon
Encyclopedia
Studies of the Book of Mormon, Brigham D. Madsen, ed. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985) is a collection of previously unpublished manuscripts, written by LDS General Authority
B.H. Roberts (1857–1933) at the beginning of the 20th century, which concern the validity of the Book of Mormon
, a scripture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Roberts "served in the innermost circles of Mormonism" and for decades "used his great oratorical and writing skills, as well as his scholarly and research abilities, to defend the Book of Mormon and give it intellectual respectability." According to BYU scholar Marvin S. Hill
, controversy over the book "has focused not upon the historical issues which Roberts raised but rather on whether or not he lost his testimony of the book and the church."
Critics of Mormonism
claim that Roberts lost his belief in the Book of Mormon after completing the study, even though he continued to publicly affirm the supernatural character of the book. According to religion writer Richard N. Ostling, LDS apologists were faced with one "of the most delicate situations" after publication of the book and "went into high gear" to make responses to it because "Roberts could not be dismissed as an outsider or an anti-Mormon
."
of the LDS Church to develop an apologetic to explain difficulties in the Book of Mormon, such as the lack of Hebrew or Egyptian vestiges in the languages of the Native American peoples and such historical anachronisms in the Book of Mormon as mentions of horses, oxen, wheat, and steel swords in ancient America.
Roberts also compared the Book of Mormon with Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews (1823), published five years before the Book of Mormon. Ethan Smith, a Vermont clergyman, drew on, what were at the time, commonplace ideas about the relationship of the Hebrews and the American Indians. Not only did Ethan Smith's work go through many early editions, but Oliver Cowdery
, Joseph Smith's scribe and one of the Three Witnesses
grew up in the Vermont town where Ethan Smith pastored the church and where Cowdery's mother and half-sisters were members. According to religion writer, Richard Ostling, "it is probably safe to assume that Joseph Smith was familiar" with Ethan Smith's book.
Roberts was "torn by an internal struggle between his faith and a desire to be honest with himself." Roberts believed that Mormonism must "stand or fall" on the truth of Joseph Smith's claim that the Book of Mormon was the history of an ancient people inscribed on golden plates and revealed to him by an angel. Yet on page after page, Roberts cited examples "of what he considered discrepancies, implausibilities and contradictions in the Book of Mormon. According to BYU professor Marvin S. Hill
, Roberts "maintained that the Book of Mormon's claims that the Indians were derived solely from three migrations of Hebrews to the new world over a span of three thousand years was entirely untenable." And Roberts concluded that the "evidence I sorrowfully submit" pointed to Joseph Smith as the Book's creator.
Although Roberts' manuscripts were intended for perusal by the General Authorities, the Authorities proved uninterested in examining them. Roberts argued that his study was “of very great importance since it represents what may be used by some opponent in criticism of the Book of Mormon.” He also warned that the problems described would haunt the Church "both now and also in the future" and, unless answered, they would undermine "the faith of the Youth of the Church."
of the Book of Mormon civilization, which Roberts himself did not believe "the Book of Mormon would admit our assuming.”
in the Jewish apocalypse 2 Esdras
(as interpreted by Ethan Smith). Both journeys are "religiously motivated, both groups enter valleys at the commencement of their journeys, both apparently travel north between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, both cross water barriers, both trips take years, and both groups travel to uninhabited lands."
by the Romans in A.D. 70. He compares this chapter to the first chapters of the Book of Mormon, in which Lehi
prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem prior to his departure circa 600 B.C.E. LDS apologists argue that View of the Hebrews does not refer to the earlier destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians circa 586 B.C.E.
View of the Hebrews mentions a Jewish phylactery
dug from the ground which “contained four folded leaves" of "dark yellow" parchment. Roberts compares this story with Joseph Smith’s retrieval of the golden plates in a New York hillock, and adds the question, "Could all this have supplied structural work for the Book of Mormon?"
which Joseph Smith said that he was given for the purpose of translating the plates.
In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites also split into two groups and have frequent wars, which ultimately result in the destruction of the more civilized Nephites.
LDS apologists reply that View of the Hebrews includes many other scriptural prophecies about the restoration of Israel, whereas the Book of Mormon quotes only from Isaiah 11.
wrote that not only did Roberts "have serious doubts" about the Book of Mormon but that his investigations raised "questions about his own beliefs." Mormon apologists have replied that Roberts must have been playing devil's advocate
because he continued to testify to the truth of the Book of Mormon until his death. As Marvin S. Hill
has noted, however, "this contention seems strained considering his pleadings at the end of each section that church leaders must offer inspired help." Mormon apologists have also argued that Sterling McMurrin and Brigham Madsen, who edited the volume, "misrepresented Roberts's final views about the historicity of Mormon scriptures."
philosophy professor, even "charged that there was an unsuccessful effort to have the University of Illinois suppress publication of the study." According to writer Robert Lindsay, "Church leaders struggled to hold back the tide of research and regain control over the past." In the summer of 1985, future President Gordon B. Hinckley
attacked scholars who were "poking into all the crevices of our history, ferreting out little things of small import and magnifying them into great issues of public discussion." In August of the same year, Apostle Dallin H. Oaks
told an assembly of religious instructors at Brigham Young University
that "the fact that something is true is not always a justification for communicating it. By the same token, some things that are true are not edifying or appropriate to communicate."
In 1996, many years after Roberts' study had been available through Jerald and Sandra Tanner
, prominent critics of the Church, and more than a decade after the University of Illinois had published Roberts' Study, BYU republished View of the Hebrews.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
B.H. Roberts (1857–1933) at the beginning of the 20th century, which concern the validity of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, a scripture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Roberts "served in the innermost circles of Mormonism" and for decades "used his great oratorical and writing skills, as well as his scholarly and research abilities, to defend the Book of Mormon and give it intellectual respectability." According to BYU scholar Marvin S. Hill
Marvin S. Hill
Marvin Sidney Hill is a retired professor of American history at Brigham Young University and a historian of the Latter Day Saint movement.- Biography :...
, controversy over the book "has focused not upon the historical issues which Roberts raised but rather on whether or not he lost his testimony of the book and the church."
Critics of Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
claim that Roberts lost his belief in the Book of Mormon after completing the study, even though he continued to publicly affirm the supernatural character of the book. According to religion writer Richard N. Ostling, LDS apologists were faced with one "of the most delicate situations" after publication of the book and "went into high gear" to make responses to it because "Roberts could not be dismissed as an outsider or an anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
."
Roberts’ purpose and conclusion
In the early 1920s, Roberts was asked by the First PresidencyFirst Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
of the LDS Church to develop an apologetic to explain difficulties in the Book of Mormon, such as the lack of Hebrew or Egyptian vestiges in the languages of the Native American peoples and such historical anachronisms in the Book of Mormon as mentions of horses, oxen, wheat, and steel swords in ancient America.
Roberts also compared the Book of Mormon with Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews (1823), published five years before the Book of Mormon. Ethan Smith, a Vermont clergyman, drew on, what were at the time, commonplace ideas about the relationship of the Hebrews and the American Indians. Not only did Ethan Smith's work go through many early editions, but Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
, Joseph Smith's scribe and one of the Three Witnesses
Three Witnesses
The Three Witnesses were a group of three early leaders of the Latter Day Saint movement who signed a statement in 1830 saying that an angel had shown them the golden plates from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon and that they had heard God's voice testifying that the book had...
grew up in the Vermont town where Ethan Smith pastored the church and where Cowdery's mother and half-sisters were members. According to religion writer, Richard Ostling, "it is probably safe to assume that Joseph Smith was familiar" with Ethan Smith's book.
Roberts was "torn by an internal struggle between his faith and a desire to be honest with himself." Roberts believed that Mormonism must "stand or fall" on the truth of Joseph Smith's claim that the Book of Mormon was the history of an ancient people inscribed on golden plates and revealed to him by an angel. Yet on page after page, Roberts cited examples "of what he considered discrepancies, implausibilities and contradictions in the Book of Mormon. According to BYU professor Marvin S. Hill
Marvin S. Hill
Marvin Sidney Hill is a retired professor of American history at Brigham Young University and a historian of the Latter Day Saint movement.- Biography :...
, Roberts "maintained that the Book of Mormon's claims that the Indians were derived solely from three migrations of Hebrews to the new world over a span of three thousand years was entirely untenable." And Roberts concluded that the "evidence I sorrowfully submit" pointed to Joseph Smith as the Book's creator.
Although Roberts' manuscripts were intended for perusal by the General Authorities, the Authorities proved uninterested in examining them. Roberts argued that his study was “of very great importance since it represents what may be used by some opponent in criticism of the Book of Mormon.” He also warned that the problems described would haunt the Church "both now and also in the future" and, unless answered, they would undermine "the faith of the Youth of the Church."
Overview
Roberts gave three conditions that would suggest that one book had been derived from another: that the derivative book had appeared after its model, that the author of the derivative book had access to the model, and that the derivative work be similar to the model. Roberts concluded that View of the Hebrews had been published first, that the possibility that Smith had access to it was "a very close certainty," and that there were many similarities between the works. The bulk of Roberts' manuscript considers the similarities between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon.Origin of New World peoples
Roberts states that both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon claim that the Hebrews “occupied the whole extent of the American continents” and that this idea was “very generally obtained throughout New England.” Modern LDS apologists argue a limited geography theoryLimited geography model (Book of Mormon)
A limited geography model for the Book of Mormon is one of several theories by Latter Day Saint movement scholars that the book's narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire Western Hemisphere as believed by some early Latter Day Saints...
of the Book of Mormon civilization, which Roberts himself did not believe "the Book of Mormon would admit our assuming.”
Migration
Both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon refer to a migration of peoples to America. Roberts notes several parallels between the migration of the Jaredites and that of the Ten Lost TribesTen Lost Tribes
The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel refers to those tribes of ancient Israel that formed the Kingdom of Israel and which disappeared from Biblical and all other historical accounts after the kingdom was destroyed in about 720 BC by ancient Assyria...
in the Jewish apocalypse 2 Esdras
2 Esdras
2 Esdras or Latin Esdras is the name of an apocalyptic book in many English versions of the Bible . Its authorship is ascribed to Ezra. It is reckoned among the Apocrypha by many Protestant churches. Although Second Esdras exists in its complete form only in Latin, it was originally written in...
(as interpreted by Ethan Smith). Both journeys are "religiously motivated, both groups enter valleys at the commencement of their journeys, both apparently travel north between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, both cross water barriers, both trips take years, and both groups travel to uninhabited lands."
Destruction of Jerusalem
Roberts notes that the entire first chapter of ‘’View of the Hebrews’’ describes the siege of JerusalemSiege of Jerusalem (70)
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the decisive event of the First Jewish-Roman War. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in...
by the Romans in A.D. 70. He compares this chapter to the first chapters of the Book of Mormon, in which Lehi
Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)
According to the Book of Mormon, Lehi was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem during the reign of king Zedekiah . Lehi was an Israelite of the Tribe of Manasseh, and father to Nephi, another prominent prophet in the Book of Mormon...
prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem prior to his departure circa 600 B.C.E. LDS apologists argue that View of the Hebrews does not refer to the earlier destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians circa 586 B.C.E.
Lost books
In View of the Hebrews "an old Indian” said that his ancestors “had a book which they had for a long time preserved,” but that "having lost the knowledge of reading it…they buried it with an Indian chief."View of the Hebrews mentions a Jewish phylactery
Phylactery
Phylactery may refer to:* An amulet or charm.* English name for Tefillin, a pair of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers....
dug from the ground which “contained four folded leaves" of "dark yellow" parchment. Roberts compares this story with Joseph Smith’s retrieval of the golden plates in a New York hillock, and adds the question, "Could all this have supplied structural work for the Book of Mormon?"
Breastplate and the Urim and Thummin
View of the Hebrews describes a breastplate "in resemblance of the Urim and Thummin" made of a white conch shell with two holes to which are fastened white buckhorn buttons "as if in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim." Roberts compares this to the Urim and ThummimUrim and Thummim
In ancient Israelite religion and culture, Urim and Thummim is a phrase from the Hebrew Scriptures or Torah associated with the Hoshen , divination in general, and cleromancy in particular...
which Joseph Smith said that he was given for the purpose of translating the plates.
"Egyptian" hieroglyphics
View of the Hebrews describes hieroglyphic paintings found in the American southwest. Roberts wrote "Was this sufficient to suggest the strange manner of writing the Book of Mormon…in an altered Egyptian?”Barbarous versus civilized New World people
View of the Hebrews argues that the Hebrews who arrived on the American continents divided into two classes, that "most of them fell into a wandering idle hunting life" but that "more sensible parts of this people associated together to improve their knowledge of the arts." The more civilized portion of this society separated from the more primitive group, who "lost the knowledge of their having descended from the same family." As a result of “tremendous wars,” the civilized group “became extinct.”In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites also split into two groups and have frequent wars, which ultimately result in the destruction of the more civilized Nephites.
Government
In both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon, part of the ancient inhabitants of America changed from monarchical governments to republican governments, and the civil and ecclesiastical power was united in the same person.Prophecy about the scattering and gathering of Israel
Roberts notes that in both View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon there are extensive quotations from Isaiah regarding the scattering and future gathering of Israel. Roberts asks, "Did the Author of the Book of Mormon follow too closely the course of Ethan Smith in this use of Isaiah would be a legitimate query.”LDS apologists reply that View of the Hebrews includes many other scriptural prophecies about the restoration of Israel, whereas the Book of Mormon quotes only from Isaiah 11.
White god in the New World
Ethan Smith discusses legends of the “bearded white god” Quetzalcoatl and proposes that this “lawgiver” or “Mexican messiah” might have been Moses. Smith also suggests that this belief held by the people of Mexico at the time of Montezuma allowed the Spanish to easily conquer the country because “the Mexicans mistook the white bearded invaders from the east for the descendants of their long cherished culture-hero Quetzalcoatl.” Roberts asks rhetorically if “this character spoken of in the View of the Hebrews," furnished the suggestion of Christ in the New World in the Book of Mormon.Controversy about Roberts' parallels
Some Mormon apologists have argued that Roberts' parallels are unimportant both because many of them have been answered by Mormon apologists in the intervening years and because there are also many "unparallels" between View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon. Critics reply that Joseph Smith was not obligated to use everything he found in the View of the Hebrews, that he might well have taken major ideas and discarded others according to his fancy, and that furthermore, the conceptual differences are minor and the similarities major.Controversy about Roberts’ ultimate beliefs
Non-Mormons have argued that Roberts' belief in the Book of Mormon may have been shaken by his research. For instance, a reviewer of the book for The Christian CenturyThe Christian Century
The Christian Century is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of U.S. mainline Protestantism, the biweekly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews books, movies, and music...
wrote that not only did Roberts "have serious doubts" about the Book of Mormon but that his investigations raised "questions about his own beliefs." Mormon apologists have replied that Roberts must have been playing devil's advocate
Devil's advocate
In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with, just for the sake of argument. In taking such position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative...
because he continued to testify to the truth of the Book of Mormon until his death. As Marvin S. Hill
Marvin S. Hill
Marvin Sidney Hill is a retired professor of American history at Brigham Young University and a historian of the Latter Day Saint movement.- Biography :...
has noted, however, "this contention seems strained considering his pleadings at the end of each section that church leaders must offer inspired help." Mormon apologists have also argued that Sterling McMurrin and Brigham Madsen, who edited the volume, "misrepresented Roberts's final views about the historicity of Mormon scriptures."
Controversy within the LDS Church after the 1985 publication
The publication of Roberts's study "caused much protest in some circles in Utah." Sterling McMurrin, a University of UtahUniversity of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
philosophy professor, even "charged that there was an unsuccessful effort to have the University of Illinois suppress publication of the study." According to writer Robert Lindsay, "Church leaders struggled to hold back the tide of research and regain control over the past." In the summer of 1985, future President Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
attacked scholars who were "poking into all the crevices of our history, ferreting out little things of small import and magnifying them into great issues of public discussion." In August of the same year, Apostle Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin Harris Oaks is an American attorney, jurist, author, professor, public speaker, and religious leader. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
told an assembly of religious instructors 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...
that "the fact that something is true is not always a justification for communicating it. By the same token, some things that are true are not edifying or appropriate to communicate."
In 1996, many years after Roberts' study had been available through Jerald and Sandra Tanner
Jerald and Sandra Tanner
Jerald Dee Tanner was an American writer and researcher who, with his wife Sandra McGee Tanner spent nearly fifty years annotating and publishing archival and evidential materials which, the Tanners claim, accurately portrayed the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, prominent critics of the Church, and more than a decade after the University of Illinois had published Roberts' Study, BYU republished View of the Hebrews.
External links
- Online version of ‘’View of the Hebrews’’ 1825 edition (Note that pagination of this online version differs from the print version used in this article)
- Online copy of ‘’View of the Hebrews’’ 1823 first edition
- Accusatory Questions Welch