We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Had hurlbut invented the theory and falsely extracted testimony from his witnesses, he would not have made strenuous efforts to recover spauldings manuscript. Full text of the manuscript story of reverend solomon. Smith and orson hyde, missionaries for the church of jesus christ, were in conneaut, ohio, where spaulding began writing his manuscript.
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 spalding rigdon theory because it is such a weak, poorlybuttressed alternative explanation. Hurlbut did not invent the spaulding theory, but was drawn to spauldings former residence in conneaut, ohio, to investigate claims that some residents were making about the book of mormon. The curious case of solomon spaulding mormon matters. Jul 18, 2009 see his manuscript of solomon spaulding and the book of mormon in magazine of western history 4 mayoctober 1886, pp. Despite the attempts to suppress it, the book, who really wrote 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. 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. The solomon spalding theory chapter 9 of joseph smiths. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon robert patterson home. In 1833, spalding s brother john and seven other residents of conneaut signed affidavits stating that spalding had written a manuscript, portions of which were identical to the book of mormon. As one hardy boys mystery is similar to another, so spaulding s the manuscript found is similar to the book of mormon.
The essay discusses the manuscript found document composed by author solomon spaulding and its possible influence on the creation of the book of mormon, along with its depiction of native american life. Howe suggested, basing himself on witnesses collected by doctor hurlbut, that the book of mormon was a revised form of a fictional work written by solomon spalding. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of mormon. 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. Apr 26, 2009 evidence that the spaulding manuscript is not the source of the book of mormon. Was the famous book of mormon written under another title by rev. Brodies interpretations have been followed by several other writers.
As for the book of mormon, history shows that an innkeeper named solomon spaulding, who was a good storyteller, had been convinced by friends to write down some of his stories in 1815 in order to make money during the recession brought about by the war of 1812. Spaulding manuscript mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Debunking the spaulding manuscript theory mormon heretic. The spaulding manuscript in the oberlin college library. That manuscript is doubtless now in the possession of mr. Bushman on spaulding by common consent, a mormon blog. 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.
Is the book of mormon ancient history or a work of. Inclusion within the bmc archive does not imply endorsement. 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. Solomon spalding manuscript found rough draft for the. The spaulding fable by common consent, a mormon blog. 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. The socalled spaulding story has been for many years past the last refuge of those who have undertaken to prove that the book of mormon is not what it. This makes it a must read book for every thinking person on the planet.
Back to mormon quotes index solomon spaulding was born in ashford, conn. 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. The book repudiated the rigdon spaulding 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. There are similarities in the explanation for the origins of both manuscript found and the book of mormon. I have heard that joseph smith plagiarized the writings of solomon spaulding to produce the book of mormon. It was not long, however, before a number of people realised that the view of the hebrews and the book of mormon had some rather startling similarities. For a long time this seemed the accepted theory of all nonmormons. Readers edition where did the book of mormon come from. What are the pros and cons of the spauldingrigdon theory. Who really wrote the book of mormon solomon spalding. Collaborators assisted smith in writing the book of mormon. Who realy wrote the book of mormon solomon spalding. Bryce concludes the interview with his personal take on the veracity of the theory.
Historian richard bushman summarizes its life as follows. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. Prior to 2008, no published authorship study results linked sidney rigdon to writing of the book of mormon. Brandons reward for solving the puzzle is to be a rare copy of the original edition of the book of mormon. In the late 1960s, a young latterday saint discovered that an ancient form of middle eastern poetry was found throughout the book of mormon, suggestive of its ancient semitic origins. Solomon spalding and revisionist history mormonthink.
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. The spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. 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. 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. But it will not take long for readers to see that it bears no resemblance to the book of mormon. Smith created the book of mormon through automatic writing. Contains statements of various neighbors of the smiths detailing their magic and money digging involvement. Spaldingrigdon theory proves the book of mormon is false. Aug 04, 2008 joseph smith jr could not have written the b of m nor could he have used spaulding as the basis for it.
Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. In the early 1830s he was identified by some witnesses and writers as the original author of part of the book of mormon. Items in the bmc archive are made publicly available for noncommercial, private use. Revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and the seven tribes of mesoamerica diane e. Spaulding manuscript the encyclopedia of mormonism.
Many of the passages in the mormon book are verbatim from spaulding, and others in part. How philosopher emanuel swedenborg, reverend alexander campbell, professor john smith of dartmouth, solomon spalding, and ethan smith influenced sidney rigdon and joseph smith to plagurize the book of mormon from manusript found, view of the. 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. This list is in no way meant to prove or disprove the spaldingrigdon theory, nor should it be considered exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination.
Solomon spaulding, the b of mormon joseph smith was functionally illiterate posted by jlfuller on august 4, 2008 joseph smith jr could not have written the b of m nor could he have used spaulding as the basis for it. What are the arguments against the book of mormon being. In 1834, four years after its first appearance, an effort was made to show that the book of mormon was a plagiarism from an unpublished novel of solomon spaulding. Davis, and arthur vinick, is a stunning indictment of the founders of the lds, and thoroughly destroys the entire foundation of the mormon faith itself. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of. Investigating the mysterious origin of the book of mormon wayne l cowdrey, arthur vanick, howard a davis on. 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. Ethan smith, hyrum smith, oliver cowdery, solomon spaulding. The view of the hebrews theory of book of mormon authorship. Ever since the book of mormon was first published in 1830, its origins have been disputed.
Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Book of mormon by william a, white press staff writer. Full text of the manuscript story of reverend solomon spalding. Levi peterson is one of the most important lds authors of the 20th century. This library possesses a manuscript which apparently is in the handwriting of solomon spaulding, since it seems to agree with fragments of account books which i have seen, and. 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. As joseph smith, the founder of the rapidly growing church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormon.
In that year, fawn brodie published no man knows my history. Howes 1834 book mormonism unvailed, in which the theory was presented that the book of mormon was plagiarized. Contents letters vi articles presidential address the web of print. The book and the man, joseph smith, kindled a religion that today numbers over nine million members. Solomon spaulding penned a manuscript that joseph smith plagiarized. First book published to challenge the claims of the book of mormon and mormonism. Evidence for solomon spaulding authorship of the book of. Solomon spalding manuscript found rough draft for the book of mormon. Lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. I know this has been refuted before, but can you help me understand this issue and get to the. 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.
Solomon spaulding s manuscript for many years i had heard that some people claimed that the book of mormon was not an original work, but was based on a story written by solomon spaulding about 20 years before the publication of the book of mormon. Spauldings widow, matilda davison, gave the manuscript to hurlburt. Wirth the number seven had several connotations to the precolumbian communities of mesoamerica. The problem with the book of mormon, one newspaper editor wrote in 1839, was to account for a work being evidently the production of a cultivated mind, yet found in the hands of an exceedingly ignorant illiterate person. 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. Introduction, near the west bank of the coneaught river there are the remains of an ancient fort.
Since 1946, no serious student of mormonism has given the spaulding manuscript theory much credibility. 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. Rice, of honolulu, hawaiian islands, formerly an antislavery editor in ohio, and. Spauldings novel provides an engaging view into one mans fanciful reconstruction of native american life. Solomon spalding february 20, 1761 october 20, 1816 was the author at least two related texts. Uncle dales selection of old mormon newspaper article transcripts primarily covering the 18301860 period in latter day saint history the spalding studies web site. 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. Revisiting the seven lineages of the book of mormon and the. An ongoing study of shared language in spaldings 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. That was the first time that it was suggested that the book of mormon had in part at least, some inspiration that originated. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Since the book of mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept joseph smiths account of how it was produced. Howes antimormon book mormonism unvailed, family members and other.
Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon fairmormon. The spalding rigdon theory was first given wide publicity in 1834 with the publication of the book mormonism unvailed. I searched to see if this had been discussed and had not found anything, which could be my poor computer search skills. Mental illness expanded smiths abilities to write the book of mormon. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon publications matthew b. I have read every word of both it and the book of mormon, and i compiled a list of what i thought were the most noteworthy similarities between the two books. Characters, plot, structure, style, names and religious content all paralleled the book of mormon. In these episodes, we continue our deep dive into explaining the authorship of the book of mormon including these topics. Second, the author of the book of mormon wrote this mss. The good news is that this is a very readable book.
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 recent study coming from stanford university using linguistics has determined that solomon spalding and. However, almost none of these people have actually read manuscript story for themselves. When applied to the book of mormon, wordprinting reveals that the word patterns of the book of mormon differ significantly from the personal writings of joseph smith, solomon spaulding, sidney rigdon, and oliver cowdery, who served as joseph smiths scribe. Toward a history of the book in early mormon culture david j. What are the arguments against the book of mormon being written by solomon spaulding. The theory of the origin of the book of mormon in the traditional manuscript of solomon spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. By relying on the appendices and end notes, they leave the story uncluttered by all of the details. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. Solomon spalding february 20, 1761 october 20, 1816 was the author of two related texts.
The complete original religious studies center specialized monograph series, v. 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. As it turns out, olivers grandfather william cowdery, sr. 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. The dartmouth university connections to the book of mormon. Cowdrey is an ex mormon whose interest in the origins of the book of mormon derives from his familys tradition that they are relatives of the oliver cowdery who figures so prominently in the spalding enigma. It may be possible for literary analysts to recreate portions of the nephite record attributable to. Nm page 144, now to his bitter chagrin he found that the long chase had been vain. Solomon spaulding, the b of mormon joseph smith was. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Who was solomon spalding and what connection did his manuscript have with joseph smith. For almost 200 years now, critics have been scrambling to prove that the book of mormon is nothing but a work of fiction.
Believers in the book of mormon felt vindicated by this discovery, and they published spauldings work to show the world it was not the source for the book of mormon. View of the hebrews1823 book of mormon 1829 very very. 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. If the map was shared with the goal of making people think that the spaulding manuscript and the view of the hebrews have a legitimate claim at influencing the writing of the book of mormon, i think its probably missed its mark. The authors present a compelling narrative of the characters and events involved in the creation of book of mormon. Pattersons printshop agreed to publish them if he would write a forward. I think even most antimormons gave up on that years ago but you never know. Smiths intellect was sufficient for him to dictate the words in.
He studied at dartmouth college in new hampshire and was ordained a minister. The spalding studies site solomon spalding home page. It was first published in 1830 in palmyra, new york, and was thereafter widely reprinted and translated. His book entitled the backslider is perhaps the most significant piece of mormon fiction ever written. For rarely does one find an alternative theory advanced to expose the true origins of a. Manuscript found by solomon spalding the controversy between manuscript found and the book of mormon goes all the back to e. While there, they preached from the book of mormon. Was the book of mormon given to joseph smith by an angel or created from a work of fiction. The solomon spaulding manuscript theory of book of mormon authorship. 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. Anthony shows up and attempts to steal the valuable book, brandon must use his newfound knowledge of the book of mormon to confront real dangers. For years now ive heard people offhandedly dismiss the book of mormon as a known plagiarism of the solomon spaulding manuscript.