New Spaulding Theory?

[Hagoth]

There's an interesting interview on the Mormon.ish podcast, Episode 147 with Lars Nielson about his research into another possible inspiration or even origin for the Book of Mormon. Anybody else listen to this?

Lars is the brother of the Ensign Peak whistleblower and actually wrote most of the document that was released to the press.

From what I gather, his theory is that the basic story of the BoM began with John Smith, who was a principle founder of Dartmouth and the author of the religion lessons that were still being taught when Hyrum Smith attended (and which contain a lot of ideas that later became supposedly-unique Mormon doctrine, although Lars didn't really touch on that part of the story). Lars claims that John Smith wrote a religious history of pre-Columbian America that he then passed on to his star pupil, none other than Solomon Spaulding, for possible eventual publication.

I don't know if there is a solid path of clues here, but I have no doubt that the cast of characters orbiting around Dartmouth, including John Smith, Solomon Spaulding, Ethan Smith and others - as communicated to young Joseph through Hyrum - might have been significant and essential inspiration for the creation of the BoM.

Lars wrote a book about it: How the Book of Mormon Came to Pass: The Second Greatest Show on Earth.

I ordered the book. I will return and report.

[Palerider]

I saw this a couple of days ago and tried to post a link on this site. Unfortunately I couldn't access the NOM site. What's up with that?

Anyway I think Lars has found at the very least, a plausible or credible origin for the BoM and possibly a smoking gun.

[Palerider]

I see RFM also has one going as well.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tFar3sRdR ... lay%3Dtrue


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2C0VLcPeqHw

[Phil Lurkerman]

I listened to the RFM presentation/interview. There are many interesting ideas to consider--mostly focused on how ideas reminiscent of works by Athanasius Kircher can be found in the BoM. He argues that the most likely explanation would involve the scholarship of Dr. John Smith of Dartmouth and works by Solomon Spaulding.

There is plenty to consider and it is a fun new way to think about the origins of some of the BoM oddities like the Liahona and the Sword of Laban. He makes some good arguments, but without any actual new Spaulding texts it just seems--at least to me--another of many possible contributions to the BoM construction. Nothing definitive that I could discern.

[deacon blues]

I've read about half the book, and it seems speculative to me. The author writes like Hugh Nibley; Take a few facts, find possible parallels, cleverly speculate. I thought the part about Athanasius Kircher was very interesting.

I wish we could find out more about this guy: en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Luman_Walters Luman Walters - Wikipedia

Depending on how educated Luman Walters was, he is a possible thread between Kircher and Joseph Smith/money-diggers.

[felixfabulous]

I thought he really wanted to the origins of "Mormon" and "Nephi" to fit in to a cohesive narrative and link it to Spalding and it did not work for me. The Spalding theory seems to be repackaged and brought out again every few years and can't get over some of the major flaws.

I think it's much more likely snippets of some of these things picked up at Dartmouth by Hyrum were mentioned at family gatherings or in talking to JS and made themselves into the BOM.

[2bizE]

I've read about half the book, and it seems speculative to me. The author writes like Hugh Nibley; Take a few facts, find possible parallels, cleverly speculate. I thought the part about Athanasius Kircher was very interesting.

I wish we could find out more about this guy: en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Luman_Walters Luman Walters - Wikipedia

Depending on how educated Luman Walters was, he is a possible thread between Kircher and Joseph Smith/money-diggers.

I have purchased the book and it arrived a few days ago, but I have not opened it. From the interviews, it all felt fairly speculative….which, to be honest, sounds like everything in Mormonism anyway. It sounds like a large stretch making the generation of the BoM a much larger collaboration than I had worked out in my head.

[Hagoth]

I think it's much more likely snippets of some of these things picked up at Dartmouth by Hyrum were mentioned at family gatherings or in talking to JS and made themselves into the BOM.

I think you're right, and we should see it as an illustration of how much the Kirtchner/John Smith/Spaulding worldview might have been part of Joseph's intellectual environment, and very possibly what Hyrum, as you pointed out, was bringing home from Dartmouth and teaching Joseph every day during that period.

I just read a paper by Stephen J. Fleming called Joseph Smith as the Philosopher-King: Neoplatonism in Early Mormon Political
Thought, that makes a pretty good argument that the BoM and Joseph's doctrine & politics were influenced by Neoplatanism. The author doesn't connect Joseph directly to any specific examples of Joseph's readings, but again it seems like a good indicator that these ideas were fruit that he could pick from his environment. Before TV and the internet people sat around the fire and talked about ideas, an information sharing technology that is pretty much lost to us today.

Joseph didn't need to directly plagiarize anyone's lost document, in my opinion, he just applied his fertile imagination to accessible ideas that inspired him. If nothing else, Nielson has identified some of those important potential inspirations.

The problem that these plagiarism theories have in common is that they don't explain the Book of Abraham, the Book of Moses, The Doctrine and Covenants, etc. But is fun to find a new point of view and some new information. Cheers to Nielson for that.