Andrew ainsworth did a post in february on the curious case of solomon spaulding, which talks more about the legal aspects of proving plagiarism. Did spalding write the book of mormon tanner, jerald. 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. However, almost none of these people have actually read manuscript story for themselves. Nov 01, 2016 as a result, if the book of mormon can be proved to be manmade, then the church is manmade. 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. Exactly how did joseph smith rip off reverend solomon spauldings novel. Forget solomon spaulding, ethan smith, and shakespeare. Was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author. 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. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of his theories from a manuscript of a novel written by solomon spaulding.
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. Sidney rigdon true author of the book of mormon and founder. 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. The curious case of solomon spaulding mormon matters. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e.
Enlarged edition, and a more readable distillation is the changing world of mormonism. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at. The writings of the 18th19th century author solomon spaulding have often been suggested as a possible source of the book of mormon. Collaborators assisted smith in writing the book of mormon. Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of. For years now ive heard people offhandedly dismiss the book of mormon as a known plagiarism of the solomon spaulding manuscript.
The book that spaulding wrote which later became the book of mormon. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon is. Discussions of book of mormon issues and evidences, plus other topics related to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. By the 1840s, the socalled spaulding theory had become the main antimormon explanation for 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.
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 solomon spalding theory chapter 9 of joseph smiths. 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. A behindthescenes look at changes in mormon doctrine and practice. Spauldings manuscript is considerably shorter than the book of mormon. Solomon spaulding penned a manuscript that joseph smith plagiarized. Would you respond to the theories that the book of mormon. The solomon spaulding manuscript theory of book of mormon authorship. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. Howes antimormon book mormonism unvailed, family members and. Brown when the book of mormon was first published in march of. 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.
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. 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. 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. I like to keep an open mind and hear all possible angles. 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. However, another theory is that the book of mormon was taken from an unpublished 1812 novel written by a retired minister, solomon spalding. 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. The view of the hebrews theory of book of mormon authorship. The 19th century writers included sidney rigdon, solomon spaulding, joseph smith, w.
Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of mormon. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at least seven and often many more rejections were measured. Bryce concludes the interview with his personal take on the veracity of the theory. Some critics of the church have claimed that joseph smith used the manuscript to write the book of mormon. The question of book of mormon authorship cannot be solved by dismissing or excising solomon spalding from mormon history or by ignoring clear evidence. 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.
I have heard that joseph smith plagiarized the writings of solomon spaulding to produce 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. For the 24 book of mormon authors included in the analysis, see larsen, rencher, and layton, who wrote the book of mormon. Presentation about the spaldingrigdon theory and the authorship of 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. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. 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. It may be possible for literary analysts to recreate portions of the nephite record attributable to. Mormon stories podcast spaulding theory of book of. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. 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. 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. An analysis of wordprints, book of mormon authorship, 181. Smith created the book of mormon through automatic writing.
The testimonies claimed that most of the main incidents in the book of mormon originated with solomon spaulding. 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. 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. Spauldings manuscript, lost for fortyfive years, was. 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.
Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. I am of the opinion that no one who reads the manuscript will give credit to the story that solomon spaulding was in any wise the author of the book of mormon. I have read every word of both it and the book of mormon, and i compiled a list of. One of the most prominent theories since the 1830s is the spaulding or spalding theory. The dartmouth university connections to the book of mormon. 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. This chart shows the results of tests that were run by john l. Spaulding s manuscript, lost for fortyfive years, was. Many of the passages in the mormon book are verbatim from spaulding, and others in part. 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. Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of fiction. 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. Feb 23, 2009 presentation about the spaldingrigdon theory and the authorship of the book of mormon.
Was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author solomon spaulding. Solomon spaulding, the b of mormon joseph smith was. Looking at the spaulding manuscript mormon heretic. What are the pros and cons of the spauldingrigdon theory of.
Smiths intellect was sufficient for him to dictate the words in. Mar 30, 2009 was the book of mormon a novel written by the late author solomon spaulding. 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. Book of mormon vs spaulding manuscript book of mormon facts. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon fairmormon.
Briefly, the theory states that joseph smith plagiarized or at least used as a source an unpublished book written by. Those who do not accept the book of mormon as scripture offer many theories about its origin. In spite of its weaknesses, this theory continues to surface from time to time even in our day. Spaldingrigdon theory proves the book of mormon is false.
As a result, if the book of mormon can be proved to be manmade, then the church is manmade. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. 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. 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. 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. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. 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. Were excited to finally bring on bryce blankenagel of the naked mormonism podcast to mormon stories. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. 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. In the early 1800s, a man named solomon spaulding wrote a fictional story about. Mental illness expanded smiths abilities to write the book of mormon. For rarely does one find an alternative theory advanced to expose the true origins of a.
The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. 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. What are the pros and cons of the spauldingrigdon 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. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Exactly how did joseph smith rip off reverend solomon. Book of mormon the book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith. Historians and scholars can no longer acquiesce in perpetuating the myth that the spalding theory has been refuted, repudiated, demolished, or disproved.
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. 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. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript. 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. Manuscript of solomon spaulding and the book of mormon. It was first published in 1830 in palmyra, new york, and was thereafter widely reprinted and translated. The spalding studies site solomon spalding home page. Even with the connection, the book has no redeeming value whatsoever and wont help you in your studies of the bom. Spaulding manuscript the encyclopedia of mormonism. 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. If it were not for the book of mormon connection, this book would be completely worthless. Solomon spalding february 20, 1761 october 20, 1816 was the author of two related texts. 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. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of.
We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Hilton, comparing writings of nephi and alma with the words of joseph smith, oliver cowdery, and solomon spaulding. The question of book of mormon authorship cannot be solved by dismissing or excising solomon spalding. There is little or no similarity between the spaulding book and the bom, except for loose talk concerning socalled lost tribes of israel. Take a look at the powerful and classic ancient semitic speech of king benjamin. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Brodies interpretations have been followed by several other writers. Once we have a foundational testimony of the book of mormon, then. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the early 1830s he was identified by some witnesses and writers as the original author of part of the book of mormon.
543 1373 641 861 894 1221 722 1407 1166 1293 38 564 559 660 1555 616 1147 101 416 1313 1268 386 73 887 467 1549 971 372 1050 1126 1111 725 1187 470 1100 4 812 356 716 31 225