- Dale R. Broadhurst's SPALDING RESEARCH PROJECT -
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The Dale R. Broadhurst "Spalding Papers" |
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Paper #12: Sciotia Revisited:
Solomon Spalding / Book of Mormon Thematic Parallels
Part I. (this web-page) An Annotated Bibliography of Thematic Parallels
Part II. Commentary on Mr. M. D. Bown's "One Hundred Similarities"
Part III. Spalding/Book of Mormon Parallels Tabulation (under constr.)
Scans from Solomon Spalding's "Roman Story" and from the 1830 Book of Mormon
Part I:
An Annotated Bibliography
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Preface to the Electronic Text Genesis of The Annotated List This chronological listing of Spalding/Book of Mormon Parallels References first appeared as an appendix to my 1980 Spalding Research Project Working Paper No. 10: "A New Basis for the Spaulding Theory." When I revised the epitome of that working paper for presentation before the John Whitmer Historical Society that same year, I expanded the list somewhat and added my own annotation. Two years later, in my preparation of appendices and supporting reference material for my 1982 Mormon History Association paper, "The Secular and the Sacred," I again added to the tabulation and incorporated into that presentation. In 1996 I updated the contents and reproduced the results as an electronic text. In October, 1998 I again expanded this material and reformatted it as a web document, adding hypertext links, graphics, etc. I circulated a few copies of the earlier versions of this material among a few research associates, but prior to my posting the e-text on the web in 1998 it was not generally available to the public or even to students of Mormon history and scriptures. The current version remains a work in progress. I present it here primarily for bibliographic purposes, rather than as a definitive statement of my own views regarding thematic and phraseology parallels in the writings of Solomon Spalding and the Book of Mormon. Definition of Terms During the past century and a half numerous writers have attempted to demonstrate the fact that there are similarities between the writings of the Rev. Solomon Spalding and the contents of the Book of Mormon. More specifically, those persons offering such information have usually attempted to show how the story outline, thematic elements, names, phraseology, or vocabulary of the Spalding manuscript now on file at Oberlin College match the counterparts of those same items as they occur in the Book of Mormon. Although the term "Oberlin Spalding manuscript" was not coined until 1886, that name is used here as the retrospective identifier of this particular Spalding text, from the time of its discovery in 1833 forward. Many of the references I have compiled make use of the term "Manuscript Found" in reference to this short work of fiction. Although both the RLDS (in 1885) and the LDS (in 1886) published the text under that title, that name is a misidentification of this particular document. I has also been referred to by some writers as "Manuscript Story." Although the wrapper in which it was discovered in 1884 bore the title, "Manuscript Story -- Conneaut Creek," that title does not appear anywhere within the pages of the document itself and may also be a misnomer. There is no substantial evidence indicating that Solomon Spalding ever referred to this particular holograph by either the title "Manuscript Found" or the title "Manuscript Story." The Book of Mormon has seen numerous printings at the hands of various publishers over the past century and a half. Many of these editions contain an account purporting to describe Joseph Smith, Jr.'s involvement with the discovery and coming forth of the text published in the book. Other editions have contained various literary supplements and additions, none of which may properly be called the text of the Book of Mormon. All of my references to the text are to the wording as published in the 1830 Palmyra first edition. The first edition did not include the Smith discovery account or any of the other supplements found in subsequent editions. However, some past writers have occasionally referred to this extra textual material in the Book of Mormon in compiling their lists of thematic and phraseology parallels with Spalding's writings. In a few places I have retained these extraneous references in my compilation, even though they may not rely exclusively upon the Book of Mormon text. The careful reader will notice these extraneous references and give them whatever attention they appear to merit -- if any. Scope of the Compiled List While the annotated chronological list that follows is comprised primarily of extracts from published statements, descriptions and articles referring to the Oberlin manuscript, I have also allowed some space for references to literary parallels found in certain other writings and alleged productions of Solomon Spalding which have rarely been made available to the general public. Some of this material has been discussed or referred to under the title of "Manuscript Found," but, as already mentioned, that document is no longer extant. At this point in history the question of what exactly did and did not appear in Spalding's "Manuscript Found" is a moot one. Since the only verifiable, substantial extant writings of the Rev. Spalding are limited to the contents of the Oberlin manuscript, I have tried to confine my excerpts from published articles and statements to those having to do with that document alone. However, I have included a few references to a few other texts when those references appear to be germane to the topic at hand. The list I have compiled is by no means an exhaustive one. In selecting and presenting those items shown in my compilation's table of contents, I have passed over many relatively minor and repetitious sources. This has especially been my policy when I have come across published materials containing nothing more than quotes from previously published sources. With the above explanations made clear, the reader will hopefully be able to make sense of the information, facts, and alleged facts contained in the following bibliographic list, the accompanying excerpts from original sources, and my own appended comments. Use of the Compiled List Following the discovery of the Oberlin Spalding manuscript in 1884, Mormon apologists were eager to publicize the fact that its story and characters were not the story and characters found in the Book of Mormon. However, this kind of use of the Oberlin document by Mormon apologists was not especially productive if the manuscript's text contained no similarities with the Mormon book whatsoever. The apologists quickly began to argue that Solomon Spalding wrote only one piece of fiction during his entire life and that story was the one on file at Oberlin College. However, if the Oberlin story in no way resembled the narrative found in the Book of Mormon, then it was difficult for anybody to account for the fact that it had ever been claimed to be the basis of the "Nephite Record" in the first place. So it was that thoughtful LDS and RLDS apologists began to admit that the Oberlin manuscript did contain a few, unimportant similarities to the Book of Mormon story. The explanation was put out that the early witnesses to Spalding's writings recalled these few, small parallels with the Book of Mormon in the Oberlin story story and then went about exaggerating their significance, to the point that some people actually began to believe that the two texts must be closely related. Compilations of thematic and phraseology parallels help demonstrate the degree of resemblance between the two stories. Logically speaking, the more significant parallels that a person is able to compile the more that person could argue that parts of the Book of Mormon reflect Spalding's writing style and favorite fictional themes. Of course, to the faithful Mormon apologist, no such list could ever stand as evidence that Solomon Spalding contributed anything to a record reportedly engraved upon golden plates centuries before Spalding was even born. To the skeptic or dedicated non-believer, however, their inspection of the lengthier listings of parallels might be useful in helping them to decide whether or not the Book of Mormon was an early 19th century production, no matter who its writer or writers may have been. Since none of the lists of parallels compiled over the years includes any crucial points of exact identity between the two texts, the efforts of the modern reader in fathoming the resemblance are reduced to such academic pursuits as looking for patterns in word occurrence, demarking textual blocks for computerized word studies, and articulating very similar phrases and episodes in the texts utilized by their respective authors for the same literary or philosophical purposes. At the very least, the non-Mormon can use the lengthier lists of parallels to discredit the claims made by some overzealous "defenders of the faith," who say that Spalding's writings do not resemble anything in the Book of Mormon. Since experienced Latter Day Saint scholars seldom make such outlandish assertions, there appears to be little reason for anyone to habitually cite these lists in order to refute the claims of sensible "Mormonism." Dale R. Broadhurst February 2003 |
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- ii - - Sciota Revisited: Part I - Table of Contents Introduction A. Similarities Mentioned Between 1834 and 1884 01. Howe, Eber D. (1834) B. Similarities Mentioned between 1884 and 1885 08. Bishop, Sereno E. (1884 - Dec.) C. Similarities Mentioned between 1885 and 1886 18. Penrose, Charles (1885 - Dec. 4) D. Similarities Mentioned between 1887 and 1901 23. Traughber, J. L., jr. (1887 -Mar. 28) E. Similarities Mentioned between 1902 and 1909 29. Mahaffey, J. E. (1902) F. Similarities Mentioned between 1910 and 1936 35. Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911) G. Similarities Mentioned between 1937 and 1945 47. Bown, M. D. (c. 1937) H. Similarities Mentioned between 1946 and 1958 52. Halter, Doris M. (1946) I. Similarities Mentioned between 1959 and 1968 60. Nibley, Hugh (1959) J. Similarities Mentioned between 1969 and 1977 68. Allen, James B. and Arrington, Leonard J. (1969) K. Similarities Mentioned between 1977 and 1983 76. Bush, Lester E. (1977) L. A Few Similarities Mentioned after 1983 84. Norwood, L. Ara (1989) |
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- iii - - Sciota Revisited: Part I - Introduction The First Mention of Similarities or Dissimilarities Eber D. Howe, a newspaper editor and publisher in Painesville, Ohio, was the first person who had what is now referred to as Spalding's "Oberlin MS" in his possession and who was also in a position to inform the reading public of its contents. Howe was familiar with the Book of Mormon and might easily have examined the two texts and reported on their similarities and dissimilarities. In fact the Painesville editor chose not to provide his readers with any such detailed descriptions. Rather than subjecting the contents of Spalding's writings to a comparison with the text of the Mormons' scriptural book, he merely printed a brief summary of the former in his 1834 anti-Mormon book, Mormonism Unvailed. We can suppose that Howe did carry out such an examination in private, but, once he saw how superficially unlike the two stories were, he must have quickly abandoned the task. This same pattern of examination and rejection would recur in the experiences of many subsequent readers. They conducted a cursory examination of the two texts and hastily formed opinions that the works were in no significant way alike. But before this process could be carried on beyond the confines of the Painesville Telegraph office, Howe mislaid Spalding's thin production and there followed a fifty year hiatus during which no one read the Oberlin MS. Earliest Reports of Similarities Were Based Upon Testimony During this lengthy period (between 1834 and 1884) when the Oberlin MS was unavailable for study, the attention of textual similarity seeking writers was directed to an expansion of a certain allegation printed in Howe's book: "This old M.S. has been shown to several of the foregoing witnesses, who recognize it as Spalding's, he having told them that he had altered his first plan of writing, by going farther back with dates, and writing in the old scripture style, in order that it might appear more ancient." Conneaut witness Aaron Wright confirmed this report in his Dec. 1833 letter to the Ohio anti-Mormons -- however, the contents of this letter were apparently never made available to Mr. Howe and other early writers on Mormonism. Abandoning the unavailable Oberlin manuscript, subsequent reporters would concentrate on gathering and printing numerous testimonies telling how the Book of Mormon resembled this second, more bible-like manuscript said to have been penned by Spalding. Practically lost among the half-century's accumulations of printed statements and allegations were a few instances in which readers of Howe's book attempted to use his summary of the Oberlin manuscript as a basis for finding and documenting parallels between Spalding's writings and the Mormon book. Although Howe's summary of Spalding's romance was exceptionally brief, it, along with the odd substantiating remark offered by Spalding's old relatives, friends, and neighbors, provided enough information on similarities to occasionaly attract a few investigators' attention during the next fifty years. After the Oberlin MS Became Available in 1884 After the Oberlin MS again came to light in 1884, the emphasis in similarities and dissimilarities documentation gradually shifted from the examination of printed testimonies to a study of the manuscript itself. This was a natural development for two reasons. In the first place, the reserve of previously unprinted testimonies telling how Spalding's writings resembled the Book of Mormon had largely dried up by the time the Oberlin document was made public. When taken altogether, this pile of testimonies and remembrances from decades long past had become a tangled mass of speculation and contradiction which proved almost nothing. In the second place, the Oberlin romance appeared to most readers to be so unlike the story told in the "Nephite narrative" that Book of Mormon defenders and disinterested writers alike began to report, with growing confidence, how the Spalding authorship theory had become a dead issue, proved by the published writings of the man himself. One interesting exception to the previously mentioned trend among the commentators on Mormonism and its scriptures may be found in the unpublished writings of William Heth Whitsitt (1841-1911), the third President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Arguing against the prevailing opinion of the times, Whitsitt wrote a voluminous biography of Mormon leader Sidney Rigdon and therein laid out a detailed theory utilizing the old Spalding-based claims for the origin of the Book of Mormon. Since Whitsitt's theory was published only in the most brief and obscure way during his lifetime, his considerations regarding the Oberlin manuscript and the Book of Mormon never became widely known and probably made no significant impact on the work of later writers. More Recent Developments The ushering in of the twentieth century marked a new beginning in the publication of Oberlin MS-Book of Mormon similarities information. Disregarding the mainstream opinions which discredited the "Spalding Theory," writers like A. Theodore Schroeder (1901), J. E. Mahaffey (1902) and A, O. Hooton (1909) set a new example in their compiling extensive lists of textual and thematic parallels. The writers who carried out such renewed efforts to examine the Book of Mormon in the light of the Oberlin manuscript generally attempted to maintain at least the appearance of engaging in careful research and scholarly reporting. The books and articles of B. H. Roberts, T. C. Smith, Charles A. Shook, George B. Arbaugh, and M. D. Bown more or less fall into this category. The direct heir of this kind of textual inquiry was Mr. M. D. Bown, a Brigham Young University student during the mid-1930's. Bown's unpublished paper of 1937, "One Hundred Similarities..." marked a high point in thematic similarities compilation. Bown presented his investigation and reporting as objective scholarship, dedicated to the task of listing all the more clearly evident parallels in the two texts. Although his report has never seen a wide distribution among Book of Mormon scholars its contents influenced the textual explorations of later investigators like this editor (Dale R. Broadhurst) and the Utah writer Vernal Holley. In his 1983 Book of Mormon Authorship, A Closer Look Holley brought Bown's name before the public and extended the scope of that reporter's investigation to include parallels in phraseology as well as in story theme. Until the web-publication of Ted Chandler's contributions and the current "Sciota Revisited" series (from 1998 forward), Holley's booklet was practically the only source in print and readily available on the topic of Spalding manuscript and Book of Mormon parallels. The Holley publication is now out of print, but a few file copies are still offered for sale at this web-site, while they last. |
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- 1 - Thematic Similarties List A. Parallels Mentioned Between 1834 and 1884 (From E.D. Howe Until the Re-discovery of the MS) 01. Howe, Eber D. Mormonism Unvailed, Painesville, Ohio, 1834. Howe relates the story of the discovery of what is today called the Oberlin Spalding manuscript and gives a brief synopsis of its storyline. Where he says that only a single manuscript was found among the late writer's possessions, Howe is evidently relying upon the verbal report he received from D. P. Hurlbut, when Hurlbut handed over his research materials to Howe, about the first of February, 1834. There is reason to believe that Hurlbut was not honest in what he was saying regarding Solomon Spalding's writings at that time, and that he actually recovered more from "the trunk" in Hartwick, New York than just a single Spalding holograph. Mr. Howe quotes the Conneaut Witnesses (Spalding's relatives and neighbors) as saying that the Oberlin document "bears no resemblance" to an alleged second Spalding work, which was essentially the same as a large portion of the Book of Mormon's contents. These remarks give the modern reader the impression that the Conneaut witnesses, D. P. Hurlbut, and Eber D. Howe all felt that the Oberlin manuscript bore no notable resemblance to the Book of Mormon. Excerpt from Howe, page 288: The trunk referred to by the widow, was subsequently examined, and found to contain only a single M.S. book, in Spalding's hand-writing, containing about one quire of paper. This is a romance, purporting to have been translated from the Latin, found on 24 rolls of parchment in a cave, on the banks of the Conneaut Creek, but written in modern style, and giving a fabulous account of a ship's being driven upon the American coast, while proceeding from Rome to Britain, a short time previous to the Christian era, this country then being inhabited by the Indians. This old M.S. has been shown to several of the foregoing witnesses, who recognise it as Spalding's, he having told them that he had altered his first plan of writing, by going farther back with dates, and writing in the old scripture style, in order that it might appear more ancient. They say that it bears no resemblance to the "Manuscript Found." 02. Haven, John (quoting Martha Spalding Davison) "A Cunning Device Detected," Times and Seasons I:3 (Jan., 1840), p. 47. (reprinted from the Nov. 16, 1839 issue of the Quincy Whig). In Elder Jesse Haven's report of a deceptive (he evidently did not identify himself as a Mormon) interview with Spalding's widow, Matilda Spalding Davison, he touches upon the textual similarities issue. She says that in the two texts "some few of the names are alike." In saying this the widow was apparently referring to the "Manuscript Found" and not to what is today known as the Oberlin manuscript. If her words were made in reference to the Oberlin story (a very unlikely possibility), then the remembered manuscript names might have been such one as: Jesus Christ, Labanco, Hamelick, and Moonrod (cf. BoM: Jesus Christ, Laban, Amulek, and Nimrod). 03. Winchester, Benjamin The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Philadelphia, 1840. Winchester reports of a Mr. Jackson's (Lyman Jackson?) memory of the contents of the Oberlin manuscript and its alleged similarities with the Book of Mormon as: "...there was no agreement between them... The Book of Mormon... is written in a different style, and altogether different" (pp. 8-9). Winchester also quotes the 1834 Howe synopsis and adds, "any one who has read the Book of Mormon, knows that the contents are altogether dissimilar from this description" (p. 20). The potential problems with Winchester's hearsay report are that it was made after Lyman Jackson had died and that it contains nothing other than what the writer might have picked up by reading Howe's book. Thus, Winchester may have manufactured Jackson's testimony, or mis-reported what Jackson said to him. See Abner Jackson's 1881 statement for some idea of views held by his father and other family members regarding Solomon Spalding. Also, see Josiah Spalding's 1855 statement (below) for a more detailed eye-witness account of the Oberlin manuscript, given from memory. 04. Spalding, Josiah Letter of Jan. 6, 1855 to George Chapman, printed in Edward Spalding's Spalding Memorial, Boston, 1872, pp. 160-162; reprinted in Charles Warren Spalding's Spalding Memorial, Chicago, 1897, pp. 254-256. Solomon Spalding's brother tells that the Oberlin MS was written as the result of a dream in which Solomon was told of "a written history that would answer the inquiry respecting the civilized people that once inhabited that country" (the Great Lakes area). Other than confusing the Mississippi with his brother's "Deliwah" river, Josiah provides a remarkably correct synopsis of the Oberlin MS from his personal memory of events forty years in the past. He mentions "a striking resemblance" between the general theme of his brother's work and that of the Book of Mormon. Unlike many others who provided testimony regarding the pseudohistorical writings of Solomon Spalding, Josiah does not equate his brother's Oberlin MS with the Book of Mormon and he does not relate any nearly identical incidents or names from the two sources. Excerpt from Charles W. Spalding, pp. 254-55: I went to see my brother and staid with him some time. I found him unwell, and somewhat low in spirits. He began to compose his novel, which it is conjectured that the Mormons made use of in forming their bible. Indeed, although there was nothing in it of Mormonism or that favored error in any way, yet I am apprehensive that they took pattern from it in forming their delusion. You may find my reason in what follows. 05a. Jackson, Rev. Abner "Abner Jackson's Statement" in the Washington, PA Daily Evening Reporter, Jan. 7, 1881. Abner Jackson was the son of the Lyman Jackson that Benjamin Winchester, in his 1840 pamphlet, reported interviewing prior to Lyman's death. The children of Lyman Jackson knew Solomon Spalding, who sold their father his Pennsylvania homestead and who lived not many miles away, across the Ohio border. One of Lyman's daughters became a Mormon, but the remainder of the family evidently were Methodists, including his son Abner, who became a preacher. Abner tells a far different account of what Spalding showed his father than does Elder Winchester. The apparent problem with Abner's account is that it seems to describe a story written by Solomon Spalding which has thematic overlaps with both the Oberlin manuscript and the Book of Mormon. The "lost tribes" novel summarized in Abner's statement may well have been the lost "Manuscript Found," but viewed at a stage in its literary development before it was reportedly converted into the Book of Mormon. Abner Jackson's statement would have probably been lost to the world, had not the Rev. Robert Patterson, Jr. provided an extensive quote from it in his 1882 "Who Wrote The Book of Mormon?" See the next item below for information on Patterson's work. Excerpt from Jackson's letter: It is a fact well established that the book called the Book of Mormon, had its origin from a romance that was written by Solomon Spaulding... about the beginning of the year 1812, [he] commenced to write his famous romance called by him "The Manuscript Found." 05b. Patterson, Robert, Jr. "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" in Boyd Crumrine's History of Washington County, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1882, pp. 425-438. Patterson reprints part of Abner Jackson's 1881 statement; he also compares the Book of Ether's story to Howe's synopsis: "Here is a threefold resemblance: each is the history of a colony not Jewish transported to this continent; each is recorded on the same number of plates or parchments; each colony seeming to have perished; and each history is hidden in a cave and is long afterwards discovered. That two plots so much alike should originate is nearly about the same time and place in two different minds seems incredible" (p. 430). Patterson's error in the parchment count is due to Howe's having reported "twenty-four" in place of the Oberlin manuscript's "twenty-eight." Given this erroneous number, Patterson compounded the error by attempting to compare Fabius' "rolls" with Ether's "plates." 05c. Smith, Joseph III. "Letter to Robert Patterson" in the Saints' Herald, Mar. 17, 1883. RLDS President Smith resurrects Elder Parley P. Pratt's old call to "produce the manuscript ["Manuscript Found"], and print it in juxtaposition with the portions of the Book of Mormon said to have been plagiarized from it, that a faithful comparison of the two might be made." Of course he knew that such a manuscript was not then available, E. D. Howe having guessed that Hurlbut sold the original "Manuscript Found" to the Mormons, and that the story now known as the Oberlin manuscript had been burned in a fire at Howe's office after his publication of Mormonism Unvailed. At about this time, however, President Smith claimed to have experienced a dream or vision of the impending discovery of the Oberlin Spalding manuscript. When that document was subsequently uncovered and brought to Ohio, Smith was instrumental in getting the RLDS permission to publish the text -- so it also could be printed "in juxtaposition with the portions of the Book of Mormon." Since the Oberlin story was not yet available when Smith wrote his 1883 letter, he speculated that the document was withheld from public inspection by non-Mormons: "the mythical romance referred to, suppressed as it has been, has been made to do mysterious duty by those opposed to and at enmity with Joseph Smith and Mormonism, and who have not the honesty to return the manuscript to Mrs. McKinstry, or to publish it themselves, that the infamy of their course may be made plain; or the presumption of the plagiarism fully established." In the second installment of his letter, President Smith speaks of the Oberlin story, as reported by Howe in 1834, and says: "The statement of Mr. Howe in regard to the manuscript which he received from Mr. Hurlbut, that it was a history of war between hostile tribes of Indians "along the borders of our great lakes," opens ground for the presumption that this was the production read to the family and neighbors of Rev. Spaulding, and accounts for the recollection of the destructive battles fought in the regions of western New York and northern Ohio, of which so much is made as to their similarity to the Book of Mormon." This was the same line of reasoning taken up by James H. Fairchild, after his uncovering of the Oberlin document in Hawaii a few months later. It was also the argument that Mrs. Fawn M. Brodie used in her famed refutation of the Spalding authorship claims. All three writers avoid coming to grips with the testimony of Abner Jackson, whose statement was not solicited or written by D. P. Hurlbut. President Smith reprinted his letter as a pamphlet a few weeks later, under the title: Spaulding Story Re-examined 06. Reynolds, George "Internal Evidences of the Book of Mormon" in The Juvenile Instructor XVII (1882) pp. 235-238 and 262-263. Elder Reynolds presents a detailed report of the alleged similarities between the Book of Mormon and Spalding's writings, but these parallels are all derived from the remembered "Manuscript Found." Reynolds does not present any discussion of the Oberlin manuscript, probably because the synopsis offered by Howe was so short and because it was so rarely mentioned in subsequent literature on the subject. Reynolds reprinted his articles a year later in his Myth of the Manuscript Found. In 1885 he was instrumental in getting Joseph F. Smith to investigate the Spalding manuscript discovery in Honolulu, but Reynolds is not known to have subsequently written anything concerning the Oberlin document. 07. Kelley, E. L. & Braden, Clark Public Discussion of the Issues Between the R.L.D.S. and the Church of Christ (Disciples), St. Louis, 1884. Rev. Braden's "6th speech" and Elder Kelley's "9th Speech" on Proposition #1 both advance the debaters' respective views regarding alleged textual similarities in the Book of Mormon and Spalding's writings. These remembered parallels are reportedly taken from the lost "Manuscript Found." Braden appears to have viewed the Oberlin manuscript (then known to him only from Howe's 1834 summary) as a sort of rough draft for the later Spalding work mentioned in the various printed statements concerning the remembered parallels. Some of Braden's comments, scattered throughout his speech, reflect upon this possibility. In his summation for Proposition #1, on pp. 216-17 of the published debate, Braden provides 27 points of similarity between the Book of Mormon and the reported content of Spalding's "Manuscript Found." The list is of limited use, since it does not include anything from the Oberlin text (not yet publicized when Braden published his book). In 1891 Braden and Kelley met for a second round of debates. This time Braden had access to the Oberlin story, but he apparently did not bother to compile any list of its similarities to the Mormon book. The content of the 1884 "Braden-Kelley Debate," in regard to Spalding-Book of Mormon resemblances, marks something of a watershed break in the ongoing discussion of Book of Mormon origins. At about the same time that printed copies of this debate reached the readers, they were also hearing the first reports of the re-discovery of the Oberlin manuscript. Most knowledgeable subsequent discussion of the topic makes mention of the Spalding romance recovered in Honolulu. |
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- 2 - Thematic Similarties List B.
Parallels Mentioned between 1884 and 1885
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- 3 - Thematic Similarties List C.
Parallels Mentioned between 1885 and 1886
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- 4 - Thematic Similarties List D.
Parallels Mentioned between 1887 and 1901
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- 5 - Thematic Similarties List E.
Parallels Mentioned between 1902 and 1909
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Spalding says:
Near the west bank of the Conneaught River there are the remains of an ancient fort. As I was walking and forming various conjectures respecting the characterization and numbers of those people who far exceeded the present Indians in works of art and inginuity, I hap'ned to tread on a flat stone. -- Man. Story p. 11. |
Joseph says:
On the west side of this hill, (Cumorah) not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size lay the plates deposited in a stone box. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges... -- His. L.D.S. p. 13. |
2. Each of them raised the "stone" with a "lever."
| With the assistance of a leaver I raised the stone. But you may easily conjecture my astonishment when I discovered that its ends and sides rested on stones and that it was designed as a cover to an artificial Cave * * * Observing one side to be perpendicular nearly three feet from the bottom * * * a big flat stone fixed in the form of a door. I immediately tore it down * * * found an earthen box * * * when I had removed the cover I found that * * * twenty-eight rolls of parchment -- M.S. p. 11-12. | Having removed the earth and obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone and with a little exertion raised it up, I looked in and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the Breastplate, as stated by the messenger -- His. L.D.S. p. 16. |
3. Each translated only a part of the "records."
| To publish a translation of every particular circumstance mentioned by our author would produce a volume too expensive for the general class of readers. But should this attempt * * * meet the approbation of the public, I shall then be happy to gratify the more inquisitive and learned part of my readers by a more minute publication. -- M.S. p. 13. | Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work. Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee * * * then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men. ... -- II Nephi 11-18. |
4. Each of the "records" states that storms arose while parties were on the ocean.
| The vessel * * * had now arrived near the coast of Britain when a tremendous storm arose and drove us into the midst of the boundless Ocean -- M.S. p. 15. | And it came to pass that after they had bound me, insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work; wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest ... -- I Nephi 5:38. |
5. Each of the "records" states that after prayer the storm did cease.
| Then it was that we felt our absolute dependence on that Almighty and gracious Being who holds the winds & floods in - - - hands. * * * Prostrate and on bended nees we poured forth incessant supplication and even Old Ocean appeared to sympathize in our distress by returning the echo of our vociferos cries and lamentations. * * * On the sixth day after, the storm wholly subsided... -- M.S. p. 15. | And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm. -- I Nephi 5:42. |
6. Each "record" states that the parties found horses on their arrival in America.
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The ground was plowed by horses M.S. p. 37
. The horses were managed in the same way & the people tho't their meat to be a savoury dish. M.S. p. 38. |
And it came to pass that we did find * * * that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse ... -- I Nephi 5:45. |
7. Each of the "records" states that burnt offerings were offered for sin.
| Look steadfastly on the black dogs and let not your eyes be turned away, when they are thrown on the sacred pile and the flames are furiously consuming their bodies, then let your earnest prayer assend for pardon and your transgressions will flee away like shadows and your sins will be carried by the smoke into the shades of oblivion. -- M. S. p. 25. | And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses; and also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem ... -- Mos. 1:5. |
8. Each of the "records" states that Judges were appointed to rule over the people.
| Having secured all our property, we then found it necessary to establish some regulations for the government of our little society. The Captain whose name was Lucian and myself were appointed Judges in all matters of controversy and managers of the public property to make bargains with the natives... -- M.S. p. 19. | And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land. And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest, -- Mos. 1:5. |
9. Each of the "records" states that there were three different peoples in this land.
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1. White people who came from Rome, -- M. S. p. 15.
2. The copper-colored Delewans. -- p. 22, 23. 3. The olive-colored Ohons. -- p. 36. |
1. Nephites from Jerusalem -- I Nephi 5:4.
2. People of Zarahemla. -- Mos. 11:8. 3. Jaredites from the [tower]. -- Ether 3:3. |
10. Each of the "records" refers to the motion of the planets,
| This scheme will represent the solar system as displaying the transcendant wisdom of its Almighty architect, for in this we behold the Sun suspended by Omnipotence and all the planets moving round him as their common center in exact order and harmony. -- M.S. p. 30. | The scriptures are laid before thee, you in all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth and all things that are upon it, yea, and its motion, yes, and also the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator ... -- Alma 16:7. |
11. Each of the "records" states that caractors were used to represent words.
| They had characters which represent words and all compound words had each part represented by its appropriate character -- M.S. p. 42. | And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge of the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, ... -- Mormon 4:8. |
12. Each of the "records" states that sacred writings were kept separate from other records.
| In all their large towns and cities they have deposited under the care of a priest a sacred Roll which contains the tenets of their Theology and a description of their religious ceremonies. -- M.S. p. 43. | Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people. Upon the other plates should be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of my people -- 1 Nephi 2:28. |
13. Each of the isms received the word of man as divine.
| Under the pretense that this system was revealed to him in several interviews which he had been permitted to have with the second son of the great and good Being, the people did not long hesitate, but received as sacred and divine truth every word which he taught them. -- M.S. p. 55. | Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all all holiness before me; for his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith, for by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you... -- D. & C. 19:2 Lamoni Ed. |
14. Each of the isms teaches sinners will be saved after death.
| But the wicked are denied ethereal bodies. Their souls naked and incapable of seeing light, dwel in darkness and are tormented with the keenest anguish. Ages roll away and the good Being has compassion upon them. He permits them to take possession of ethereal bodies and they arise quick to the abodes of delight and glory. -- M.S. p. 47. | And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus, these are they who deny not the holy spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the Devil until the last resurrection ... -- D. & C. 76:7 |
15. Each of the isms requires an oracle.
| He still continued his useful Labors and was considered the great Oracle of both Empires. His advice and sentiments were taken upon all important subjects and no one ventured to controvert his opinions. -- M.S. p. 69. | Verily I say unto you the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come, nevertheless, though you shall the oracles be given, yea, even unto the church. -- D. & C. 87-2. |
16. Each of the isms must have counselors.
| At the head of this Empire shall be placed, with the title of Emperor, Labamack the oldest son of Lobaska. The office shall be hereditary in the eldest male of his family * * * He shall have four counsellors. -- M.S. p. 65. | I give unto you my servant Joseph, to be a presiding elder over all my church, to be a translator, a revelator, a seer and prophet. I give unto him for counselors my servant Sidney Rigdon and my servant William Law ... -- D. & C. 107:39 |
17. Each of the "records" refers to the same plan of constructing fortifications.
| The ramparts or walls were formed of dirt which was taken in front of the fort. A deep canal or trench would likewise be formed. This would still increase the difficulty of surmounting the walls in front. In addition to this they inserted sticks pieces of Timber on the top of the Ramparts. These pieces were about seven feet in length from the ground to top, which was sharpened. -- M.S. p. 80. | ... Moroni * * * caused that his armies should commence * * * digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities * * * and upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities. And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about. -- Alma 22:1. |
18. Each of the "records" states that property was held in common.
| Our community might be said to be one family, tho' we lived in seperate houses situate near each other. The property was common stock; what was produced by our labor was likewise to be common. -- M.S. p. 21. | ... and they had all things in common among them, therefore there were no rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift ... -- IV Nephi 1:2 |
19. Each of the "records" mentions miraculous means of obtaining knowledge; one by a "stone," the other by the "interpreters."
| Hamack then arose and in his hand he held a stone which he pronounced transparent. Through this he could view things present and things to come, could behold the dark intrigues and cabals of foreign courts, and discover hidden treasures secluded from the eyes of other mortals. He could behold the galant and his mistress in their bed-chamber, account all their moles warts and pimples. Such was the clearness of his sight, when this transparent stone was placed before his eyes. -- M.S. p. 107. | ... now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters * * * and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. -- Mos. 5:10 |
Reader, you have been shown nineteen points of identity between the "Manuscript Story" of Solomon Spalding, and the system of religion (?) as promulgated by the self-styled prophet of God, Joseph Smith. Can you believe the Mormon story that there is no "likeness" between them?
Solomon and Joseph, they each found a "record,"
And each of the "records," was very, very old.
Solomon's was in "Latin," and written on "parchment,"
Joseph's "Reformed Egyptian," "engraved" on "plates" of "gold."
'Twas just under a "stone," which he raised by a "lever,"
That each found his "record," each dry, safe and sound.
Solomon's in a "box," in a cave "artificial,"
Joseph's in a "box," near the surface of the ground.
Of each of the "records," only part was "translated,"
Each one gave his reasons, why, a part was reserved.
Solomon's was a novel, while Joseph's was "more bible,"
For many centuries, hidden miraculously preserved.
The "record" each tell us, while parties crossed the ocean
Tremendous storms arose, surging billows everywhere,
Yet all were safely landed, and not one life was lost,
They were saved from destruction, in answer to prayer.
Each "record" mentions horses, that were found upon the land,
"Burnt offerings" people offered, to cleanse them from all sin.
Judges were appointed, that justice might be done,
And different peoples three, this land were dwelling in.
Each "translator" must have "planets" that move in regular form,
And "Oracles" their words received, as coming from above.
"Sacred" writings kept separate, and "characters" used for words,
The wicked punished for awhile, then saved by redeeming love.
Each builds his forts of "earth" thrown up with timbers placed on top,
Has property held in "common," and counselors four or two.
Has a man whose words, accepted, as coming from above,
Just so he calls it "revelation," that's enough to them 'tis true.
But the thing that was dearest, to each "translator's" heart,
Was the magical "interpreters" or "transparent stone" so clear;
With them nothing could be hidden, all things came to view,
Moles and pimples, warts and wrinkles, all things far and near.
There's no "likeness" shouts the "nigger" 'neath the "wood-pile" of the saints,
This "missing link" of "evidence" at last completes the "chain."
Yet Spalding wrote his "manuscript," before Smith found his "book,"
And there's nineteen points of identity. Will Mormons please explain.
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- 6 - Thematic Similarties List F.
Parallels Mentioned between 1910 and 1936
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