Nrev solomon spaulding and the book of mormon

However, almost none of these people have actually read manuscript story for themselves. This timeline is a summary of all events that indicate that this theory may be true based on my notes collected over a sixyear period. This theory claimed that sidney rigdon wrote the religious parts of the book of mormon while the historical parts were plagiarized from an unpublished manuscript written in 1812 by solomon spaulding rigdon having secretly acquired the spaulding document from a pittsburgh printer named jonathan h. Jul 18, 2009 see his manuscript of solomon spaulding and the book of mormon in magazine of western history 4 mayoctober 1886, pp. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Parallels between solomon spauldings manuscript found. The theory states that ridgon made extensive use of materials written by solomon spalding also spelled spaulding to fabricate what became the 1830 version of the book. Spaulding manuscript mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. While there, they preached from the book of mormon.

Spauldings manuscript is considerably shorter than the book of mormon. Patterson, the same workshop where solomon spaulding had taken his manuscript. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally imp. In october 20, the authors conducted a data analysis comparing the book of mormon to over 100,000 books from the pre1830s era.

We believe that god has revealed his word to all people in all generations and the book of mormon is simply a record of his dealings with a different nation than that of the bible. Spaulding manuscript the encyclopedia of mormonism. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon. The book of mormon was a plagiarism of an old manuscript by one solomon spaulding, which sidney rigdon somehow secured from a printing house in pittsburgh. The writer of the above article seems to have made little effort to study the various mormon responses to proponents of the solomon spalding claims for book of mormon authorship. It is still being used by a few critics of the book of mormon today. Additional information from part 1 of joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of mormon, pages 3738 in 2008 another computer study was done by matt jockers, craig criddle and daniela witten, comparing various authors word prints, including solomon spalding and sidney rigdon, with that of the book of mormon.

Rice, of honolulu, hawaiian islands, formerly an antislavery editor. It has long been contended that there is a connection between the book of mormon and one of solomon spauldings historical romances. Some critics of the church have claimed that joseph smith used the manuscript to write the book of mormon. They multiplied and eventually split into two groups. Walter martins religious infonet kingdom of the cults. The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. The book of mormon has some serious grammatical errors. Believing mormons often state that solomon spaldings manuscript story if you are unfamiliar with the spaldingrigdon theory, click here for a brief background has absolutely nothing in common with the book of mormon. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship and nibley llc. Presentation about the spalding rigdon theory and the authorship of the book of mormon.

It published materials gathered by philastus hurlbut which were intended to prove that the book of mormon came from a manuscript written by solomon spaulding sometimes also spelled spalding in 1812. Nibleys commentary on the book of mormon is based on transcriptions from classes taught by hugh nibley, and is published with the permission of the neal a. The book of mormon is the word of god, like the bible. While the bible is written by and about the people in the land of israel and surrounding areas and takes place from the creation of the world until shortly after the death of jesus christ. In it, the author followed up on indications previously published in ohiobased newspapers that a man named solomon spalding was the real and unwitting originator of the book of mormon this is in contrast to some lds apologists who claim that the author simply. Joseph miller, of amity, pennsylvania, where spaulding died. During the early days of the mormon church, a number of individuals had claimed that the book of mormon was a revised plagiarism of a mockbiblical novel written by a dartmoutheducated former minister solomon spaulding.

But in his excellent volume the book of mormon, dr. The book of mormon certainly has difficulty demonstrating that it is ancient history, so does most of the old testament, the conflicting narratives of the gospels, the bhagavad gita, the upanishads and a number of sacred texts. The spalding rigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints published spaulding s manuscript in 1886 to prove to the world that it was not the origin of the book of mormon, and that the book of mormon was indeed translated from ancient records by the gift and power of god.

The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. The book of mormon resembles the bible in its length and complexity and in its division into books named for individual prophets. Yea, verily, verily i say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever. The fact that the historical portion of the book of mormon was taken from the work of rev. Book of mormon by william a, white press staff writer. Dec 29, 2010 the book of mormon is based on the king james version of the bible, a relatively recent translation. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The spalding theory then and now the dialogue journal. Those who do not accept the book of mormon as scripture offer many theories about its origin. Behold, he was a man like unto ammon, the son of mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of mosiah alma 48. The king james translators added words italicised to help the readers, yet in some cases these are preserved in the book of mormon. Book of mormon lessons with an archive of 50 years of articles, byu studies is an excellent resource to assist you in your study of the book of mormon. Was the famous book of mormon written under another title by rev. Critics claim that joseph smith did not actually translate ancient plates into the book of mormon, but rather wrote the book.

In the early 1830s he was identified by some witnesses and writers as the original author of part of the book of mormon. In 1834, relying on testimony gathered by one doctor philastus hurlbut a former mormon who had been excommunicated from the church for immoral behavior, e. The only way you can be a mormon is by accepting the book of mormon. The most interesting literary controversy of the time, and the only one which has important practical bearing, is raging around the book of mormon, sometimes but incorrectly called the mormon bible. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. I know this has been refuted before, but can you help me understand this issue and get to the bottom of it. In 1977 this theory was forcefully presented in the book who really wrote the book of mormon. The testimony of witnesses four neighbors, a business partner, and three family members. These writers include sidney rigdon, solomon spalding, w. In the early 1800s, a man named solomon spaulding wrote a fictional story about ancient romans who came to north america. Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. Both books contain gods guidance as revealed to prophets, as well as religious histories of different civilizations. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon by j.

This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel written by revolutionary war veteran solomon spalding during the war of 1812. What the young men had stumbled on was part of the longlost manuscript of spalding s second novelcrushing evidence of smiths plagiarism and deceit that had been preserved by the unsuspecting mormons. Some other explana tion of the origin of the book of mormon must be found, if any. Concerned reader, mormonism is not only foreign to the scriptures, it is diametrically opposed to gods word.

Solomon spaldingbook of mormon parallels mormons often insist that there are no similarities. Between 1812 and 1814, the time spaulding lived in pittsburgh, he took his manuscript to the workshop and left it there, and then, leaving a copy of the. That manuscript is doubtless now in the possession of mr. Andrew ainsworth did a post in february on the curious case of solomon spaulding, which talks more about the legal aspects of proving plagiarism. The solomon spalding manuscript 1812 by solomon spalding this unpublished manuscript was a work of fiction created by a retired minister, solomon spalding who died in 1816 before being able to publish his work. Jun 03, 2016 the book of mormon spooky mormon hell dream lyrics by azmad202. That was the first time that it was suggested that the book of mormon had in part at least, some inspiration that originated from the. Mormon challenges could the book of mormon story have. Briefly, the theory states that joseph smith plagiarized or at least used as a source an unpublished book written by. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript. As a coauthor of the 1977 work who really wrote the book of mormon. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of. Native americans, dna, and the mormon church salt lake city, ut. There is a theory that sidney rigdon helped joseph smith create the book of mormon based on a manuscript written by a man named solomon spaulding.

After adding much religious matter to the story, rigdon determined to publish it as a newly discovered history of the american indian. Solomon spaulding before us italics ours, that we compared with the mormon bible. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon robert patterson home. Davis has made numerous public lecture and media appearances on the subject. Manuscript of solomon spaulding and the book of mormon. This claim has been discredited many times by people inside and outside of the church. If 10% is good enough for jesus, it ought to be enough for uncle sam.

Davis, and arthur vanick have conducted extensive research into the origin of the book of mormon. Solomon spauldings manuscript found was clearly and undeniably established in my article published in the watchman, boston, sept. For each lesson, weve listed articles from our journal and charts from charting the book of mormon for you to peruse. It should be noted that solomon spalding lived in pittsburgh. He is also titular head of the spalding research associates. The spalding enigma, provides this brief attribution. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon. The solomon spalding theory chapter 9 of joseph smiths. Spauldings manuscript found was joseph smiths inspiration for the book of mormon. Presented by robert hancock of the southern utah post mormon association, dec. Full text of the manuscript story of reverend solomon spalding. One of the earliest theories was that the book of mormon was based on a manuscript by solomon spaulding also spelled spalding, a fictional story about early inhabitants of america. Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of.

After spaldings death, a number of individuals suggested that spaldings work was used as a source by joseph smith for the book of mormon, a scripture in the latter day saint movement. The theory of the origin of the book of mormon in the traditional manuscript of solomon spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. Spalding studies home page solomon spalding home page. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible.

Solomon spalding 17611816 was a lapsed calvinist evangelist, a failed new york businessman, and hopeful author of a prehistoric american epic story giving an account of the vanished mound builders of the ohio valley. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of mormon. The most interesting literary controversy of the time, and the only one which has important practical bearing, is raging around the book of mormon, sometimes but incorrectly called the mormon. Spalding sometime between 1809 and 1812 about twenty years before the book of mormon came to press a reverend solomon spalding also spelled spaulding wrote a novel about a group of ancient roman sailors who were blown off course and landed in america. Smith and orson hyde, missionaries for the church of jesus christ, were in conneaut, ohio, where spaulding began writing his manuscript. Levi shinn, founder of shinnstown, informs that rev spaulding told him that he had unearthed an ancient manuscript on the hoult property, just below the mouth of the tygart valley river, where the ancient people thousands of years. See more ideas about book of mormon, scripture study and lds scriptures. In my previous post about unconventional book of mormon geography theories, doug g made a comment claiming that the book of mormon is related to the solomon spaulding manuscript, so i want to address this theory. This extract from the book of mormon translated from golden plates in 1828 was in the handwriting of solomon spalding died 1816. Spaulding s novel provides an engaging view into one mans fanciful reconstruction of native american life.

Many of the passages in the mormon book are verbatim from spaulding, and others in part. Howe suggested that the book of mormon was based on an unpublished novel called manuscript found, written by a former minister named solomon spalding. The presence of such ideas in the book of mormon and spaldings novel may have. Soon after the publication of the book of mormon, critics believed that joseph must have plagiarized it from another source. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. One group, the lamanites, forgot their beliefs, became heathens, and were the ancestors. The book of mormon is an entirely different book of scripture. It is claimed by some that joseph smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by solomon spaulding to write the book of mormon. The spalding rigdon theory was first given wide publicity in 1834 with the publication of the book mormonism unvailed.

Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon fairmormon. Solomon spauldings romance, entitled manuscript found. The evidence clearly shows that the book of mormon grew out of spaulding s story, but the defenders of mormonism lose their mental balance whenever this subject is mentioned, and they treat it dishonestly. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. Mormon classics a directory of texts and newspaper articles available on the internet. The back cover of our 2005 book, who really wrote the book of mormon. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon publications matthew b. Fairchild concluded that the theory of the origin of the book of mormon in the traditional manuscript of solomon spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. The spaulding fable by common consent, a mormon blog. The mormons and solomon spaulding 17611816 profdavidkatz. At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. Mormon response to spaulding authorship of the book of mormon. It is not sponsored or endorsed by either the maxwell institute or brigham young university, and.

It has no connection with the spaulding manuscript. According to the spalding rigdon theory, the book of mormon is the product of a pious fraud perpetrated by sidney rigdon, aided and abetted by joseph smith and oliver cowdery. But it will not take long for readers to see that it bears no resemblance to the book of mormon. This theory was presented in the 1834 book, mormonism unvailed, by e. Nevertheless, this unique edition will be a useful reference for students of latterday saint history and nineteenthcentury american.

When rice, fairchild, and several others compared the spaulding manuscript with the book of mormon they could detect no resemblance between the two, in general or detail. Looking at the spaulding manuscript mormon heretic. Did spalding write the book of mormon tanner, jerald. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Eleven witnesses saw the plates from which the book of mormon was translated. I have read every word of both it and the book of mormon, and i compiled a list of. Solomon spalding was the author of two related texts. Books published as early as 1834 discount the origins of the book of mormon and place solomon spalding as the true author. The two other witnesses are the widow of solomon spaulding, and mr. However, after reading the book objectively, and comparing it to the book of mormon, i found almost no similarity at all, other than the setting of precolumbian north america.

One of the most prominent theories since the 1830s is the spaulding or spalding theory. Plus there are signed affidavits by people who saw spalding s manuscript and said it was identical to the book of mormon. Solomon spaulding, the b of mormon joseph smith was. The writings of the 18th19th century author solomon spaulding have often been suggested as a possible source of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Out of the top matches, we discovered a book called the late war between the united states and great britain, a scriptural. I have heard that joseph smith plagiarized the writings of solomon spaulding to produce the book of mormon. Believing mormons often state that solomon spalding s manuscript story if you are unfamiliar with the spalding rigdon theory, click here for a brief background has absolutely nothing in common with the book of mormon.

One item i wished to examine at princeton was a manuscript by one solomon spaulding entitled the manuscript found. Who realy wrote the book of mormon solomon spalding. Search the book of mormon this site supports simple and proximity searches for words and phrases. Solomon spalding february 20, 1761 october 20, 1816 was the author of two related texts. Bales makes the following observation, which is of great importance and agrees in every detail with my research. Solomon spalding wrote a document now called the spalding manuscript. When a distant cousin of one of the three founders of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints lds coauthors a book with two other prominent scholars proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that. In the early 1800s, a man named solomon spaulding wrote a fictional story about.

However, another theory is that the book of mormon was taken from an unpublished 1812 novel written by a retired minister, solomon spalding or spaulding, who died in 1816 in ohio. Solomon spaulding was born in 1761 in connecticut, and lived in new england and new york until he moved to conneaut, ohio, in 1809. The bible says jesus was born in bethlehem of judaea, the book of mormon says jesus was born in jerusalem matt. Were the mormon tablets actually found in a west virginia. The manuscript you apologists are referring to is not the one i am talking about.

Prior to 2008, no published authorship study results linked sidney rigdon to writing of the book of mormon. Aug 04, 2008 when rice, fairchild, and several others compared the spaulding manuscript with the book of mormon they could detect no resemblance between the two, in general or detail. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. There is a small group who hold to the theory that the production of the book of mormon was a conspiracy involving sidney rigdon, joseph smith, oliver cowdery and others. The conviction has become almost universal, except among mormons themselves, that the book of mormon was founded upon rev. Debunking the spaulding manuscript theory mormon heretic. Solomon spalding 17611816 was a lapsed calvinist evangelist, a failed new york. Another testament of jesus christ presents itself as a translated record of ancient american peoples detailing their dealings with each other and with god. Mormons, isnt it true that the book of mormon is actually. Solomon spaulding was born at ashford, connecticut, on 21 february 1761. It relates the history of a group of hebrews who migrated from jerusalem to america about 600 bce, led by a prophet, lehi. Book of mormon research page full text of view of the hebrews, 1830 book of mormon, and book of commandments.

Elder benjamin winchesters 1840 tract offers a substantial, if not especially convincing, lds refutation of at least a portion of those claims as does that. The slippery gold plates that have mysteriously disappeared. I have recently examined the book of mormon, and find in it the writings of solomon spaulding, from beginning to end, but mixed up with scripture and other religious matter, which i did not meet with in the manuscript found. A very plausible lost and missing novel by solomon spalding manuscript found, separate and distinct from the oberlin manuscript has not been ruled out by mormon apologists. The claim that joseph smith used spaulding s writings as the source for the book of mormon has come to be known as the spaulding theory. Since the book of mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept joseph smiths account of how it was produced. Full text of the manuscript story of reverend solomon. One of the earliest theories of book of mormon authorship was that joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the reverend solomon spalding. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon.