It may be possible for literary analysts to recreate portions of the nephite record attributable to. Spauldings reputed romance, the manuscript found, as the groundwork for that divine record. Mental illness expanded smiths abilities to write the book of mormon. Smiths intellect was sufficient for him to dictate the words in. The question of book of mormon authorship cannot be solved by dismissing or excising solomon spalding. 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. In these episodes, we continue our deep dive into explaining the authorship of the book of mormon including these topics. Ive finally gotten around to researching this oftcited alternative theory about the true origins of the book of mormon, and i was both perplexed and amused by what i found. The spalding studies site solomon spalding home page. Apr 29, 2019 his preparation, thorough research, and absolute brilliance are on display as bryce gives us the context surrounding the solomon spaulding manuscript theory of the book of mormoneven including some of the apologetic arguments against the theory. Were excited to finally bring on bryce blankenagel of the naked mormonism podcast to mormon stories. 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. Andrew ainsworth did a post in february on the curious case of solomon spaulding, which talks more about the legal aspects of proving plagiarism.
Forget solomon spaulding, ethan smith, and shakespeare. His preparation, thorough research, and absolute brilliance are on display as bryce gives us the context surrounding the solomon spaulding manuscript theory of the book of mormoneven including some of the apologetic arguments against the theory. Oct 09, 2005 in my opinion, this section alone raises reasonable questions about attempts to explain the book of mormon as a result of plagiarism from solomon spaulding, ethan smith, shakespeare, the king james bible, the apocrypha, or walt whitman. Was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author solomon spaulding. Presented by robert hancock of the southern utah post mormon association, dec. For rarely does one find an alternative theory advanced to expose the true origins of a. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. What are the pros and cons of the spauldingrigdon theory of. Many of the passages in the mormon book are verbatim from spaulding, and others in part. Smith created the book of mormon through automatic writing. Historians and scholars can no longer acquiesce in perpetuating the myth that the spalding theory has been refuted, repudiated, demolished, or disproved. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. The book that spaulding wrote which later became the book of mormon.
The solomon spaulding manuscript theory of book of mormon authorship. 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. May 30, 2012 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 curious case of solomon spaulding mormon matters.
Even with the connection, the book has no redeeming value whatsoever and wont help you in your studies of the bom. Hilton, comparing writings of nephi and alma with the words of joseph smith, oliver cowdery, and solomon spaulding. An analysis of wordprints, book of mormon authorship, 181. As a result, if the book of mormon can be proved to be manmade, then the church is manmade. Dec 12, 2017 for the 24 book of mormon authors included in the analysis, see larsen, rencher, and layton, who wrote the book of mormon. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central.
Short interview transcript about the solomon spalding issue. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of mormon. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon fairmormon. Collaborators assisted smith in writing the book of mormon. Brodies interpretations have been followed by several other writers. Was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author. The view of the hebrews theory of book of mormon authorship. Book of mormon vs spaulding manuscript book of mormon facts. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Soon after the publication of the book of mormon, critics believed that joseph must have plagiarized it from another source.
In the early 1830s he was identified by some witnesses and writers as the original author of part of the book of mormon. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. The dartmouth university connections to the book of mormon. However, almost none of these people have actually read manuscript story for themselves. Spaulding manuscript mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. An ongoing study of shared language in spalding s manuscript pages and the book of mormon demonstrates that certain sections of the book of mormon overlap the known spalding writings to a greater degree than do other sections of that book. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript. 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. Did spalding write the book of mormon tanner, jerald. For the 24 book of mormon authors included in the analysis, see larsen, rencher, and layton, who wrote the book of mormon. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon is. 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 spaldingrigdon 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. By the 1840s, the socalled spaulding theory had become the main anti mormon explanation for the book of mormon. 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 testimonies claimed that most of the main incidents in the book of mormon originated with solomon spaulding. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at. In spite of its weaknesses, this theory continues to surface from time to time even in our day. Brown when the book of mormon was first published in march of. Blumell, senior historical associate, church historical department historically, the most popular antimormon or nonmormon explanation of the origin of the book of mormon has been that it was based on a manuscript written by solomon spaulding. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and founder. What are the pros and cons of the spauldingrigdon theory. April 22, 2019 join us now as we interview bryce blankenagel of naked mormonism podcast to discuss the solomon spaulding theory of book of mormon authorship.
Another more recent theory, also open to criticism, suggests that joseph smith used ethan smiths no relation view of the hebrews, which was published during the 1820s, to help him write the book of mormon. Howe speculated that spaulding must have composed another manuscript that served as the source of the book of mormon, but no additional writings of spaulding have ever surfaced. Spauldings manuscript is considerably shorter than the book of mormon. I have heard that joseph smith plagiarized the writings of solomon spaulding to produce the book of mormon. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and. There is little or no similarity between the spaulding book and the bom, except for loose talk concerning socalled lost tribes of israel. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of his theories from a manuscript of a novel written by solomon spaulding. One of the most prominent theories since the 1830s is the spaulding or spalding theory. The solomon spalding theory chapter 9 of joseph smiths. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon.
Spaulding s manuscript, lost for fortyfive years, was. The theory of the origin of the book of mormon in the traditional manuscript of solomon spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. 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. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of mormon. Spaulding manuscript the encyclopedia of mormonism. A new wordprint study on the book of mormon breathes new life to a longchallenged theory for book of mormon authorship, the theory that its real author was solomon spalding secretly assisted by sidney rigdon. Exactly how did joseph smith rip off reverend solomon. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at least seven and often many more rejections were measured.
Feb 23, 2009 presentation about the spaldingrigdon theory and the authorship of the book of mormon. 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. Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of. By the 1840s, the socalled spaulding theory had become the main antimormon explanation for the book of mormon. Since the book of mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept joseph smiths account of how it was produced.
Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of fiction. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. The 19th century writers included sidney rigdon, solomon spaulding, joseph smith, w. Solomon spaulding penned a manuscript that joseph smith plagiarized. This chart shows the results of tests that were run by john l. Discussions of book of mormon issues and evidences, plus other topics related to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Some critics of the church have claimed that joseph smith used the manuscript to write the book of mormon. If it were not for the book of mormon connection, this book would be completely worthless. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. 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. Book of mormon the book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith.
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 matters which i did not meet with in the manuscript found. Briefly, the theory states that joseph smith plagiarized or at least used as a source an unpublished book written by. Not a lot of people know about solomon spaulding and his book manuscript story, a romantic account of native americans who were in fact the lost tribes of israel, or so the story goes. Howes antimormon book mormonism unvailed, family members and. 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. Looking at the spaulding manuscript mormon heretic. Exactly how did joseph smith rip off reverend solomon spauldings novel. A behindthescenes look at changes in mormon doctrine and practice. Im not a mormon and i believe the bom sprang from the mind of joseph smith, but i have no sympathy for proponents of the spaldingrigdon theory because it is such a weak, poorlybuttressed alternative explanation. One source that supposedly supports the arguments of critics that the book of mormon is not authentic is a 175page manuscript known as the manuscript story also entitled manuscript found in some editions which was written by solomon spaulding sometimes spelled spalding in the early 1800s. Any mormon knows the story of parley pratt finding a copy of the book of mormon at a preachers house and staying up all night reading it.
Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of. Take a look at the powerful and classic ancient semitic speech of king benjamin. In the early 1800s, a man named solomon spaulding wrote a fictional story about ancient romans who came to north america. Those who do not accept the book of mormon as scripture offer many theories about its origin.
Mormon stories podcast spaulding theory of book of. I know this has been refuted before, but can you help me understand this issue and get to the bottom of it. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. 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. For years now ive heard people offhandedly dismiss the book of mormon as a known plagiarism of the solomon spaulding manuscript. However, another theory is that the book of mormon was taken from an unpublished 1812 novel written by a retired minister, solomon spalding.
I have read every word of both it and the book of mormon, and i compiled a list of. On the other hand, if its origin is godgiven, then joseph smith was a prophet, and if he was a prophet, then the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is true. The book repudiated the rigdonspaulding theory, revived the alexander campbell thesis that joseph smith alone was the author of the book, and postulated that view of the hebrews following riley, 1903 provided the basic source material for the book of mormon. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. Presentation about the spaldingrigdon theory and the authorship of the book of mormon. The authors of this book, while sometimes a bit overthetop in their zeal to debunk the source of the book of mormon nonetheless do a good job of documenting. 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. Jan 29, 2015 im not a mormon and i believe the bom sprang from the mind of joseph smith, but i have no sympathy for proponents of the spaldingrigdon theory because it is such a weak, poorlybuttressed alternative explanation. 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. 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. In the early 1800s, a man named solomon spaulding wrote a fictional story about. Once we have a foundational testimony of the book of mormon, then. Manuscript of solomon spaulding and the book of mormon. It is our purpose in this article to demonstrate from the book of mormon itself, the absurdity of the spaulding story and the utter impossibility of the prophet joseph smith ever having used mr.
It was first published in 1830 in palmyra, new york, and was thereafter widely reprinted and translated. The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of. Mar 30, 2009 was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author solomon spaulding. I like to keep an open mind and hear all possible angles.
Bryce concludes the interview with his personal take on the veracity of the theory. The question of book of mormon authorship cannot be solved by dismissing or excising solomon spalding from mormon history or by ignoring clear evidence. Solomon spalding february 20, 1761 october 20, 1816 was the author of two related texts. Solomon spaulding, the b of mormon joseph smith was. In fact, i decided to reread the book of mormon from start to finish after finishing these episodes, with a more thoughtful and critical approach of. The writings of the 18th19th century author solomon spaulding have often been suggested as a possible source of the book of mormon. Enlarged edition, and a more readable distillation is the changing world of mormonism. 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. May 04, 2009 evidence that the spaulding manuscript is not the source of the book of mormon besides the fact that the spaulding manuscript is just onesixth the size of the book of mormon meaning joseph and sidney needed to come up with much new material, spaulding s widow, matilda davison, gave the manuscript to hurlburt. Spaldingrigdon theory proves the book of mormon is false. 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. Finally, i am more than half convinced that this is his only writing of the sort, and that any pretence that spaulding was in any sense the author of the other, is a sheer fabrication.
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