Hugh Nibley

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Hugh Winder Nibley
Born	March 27, 1910(1910-03-27) Portland, Oregon
Died	February 24, 2005 (aged 94)
Cause of death	Natural causes
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Scholar, historian, author, professor
Home town	Portland, Oregon
Religious beliefs	Mormon
Spouse	Phyllis Nibley
Children	8

Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910 – February 24, 2005) was one of Mormonism's most celebrated scholars. Nibley is notable for his extensive research and publication on ancient languages and culture, his vigorous defense of doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for frankly discussing what he saw as the shortcomings of the LDS people and culture.

A prolific author and professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, he was fluent in the Classical Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, and Spanish languages. He also studied Dutch and Russian during World War II.

In addition to his efforts as a scholar, Nibley was well known for writings and lectures on LDS scripture and doctrinal topics, many of which were were published in LDS Church magazines. His book “An Approach to the Book of Mormon” was used as a lesson manual for the LDS Church in 1957.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Social and political viewpoints 1.2 Family controversy 2 Scholarship 2.1 Linguistic contributions 2.2 Scholarly criticism 2.3 Students 2.4 The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley series 3 Books About Nibley 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Biography

Hugh Nibley was born in Portland, Oregon a son of Alexander Nibley and his wife Agnes Sloan.^[1] Alexander Nibley was the son of Charles W. Nibley and his wife Rebecca Neibaur. Alexander had served from 1906-1907 as president of the Netherlands Mission of the Church.^[2] Rebecca was the daughter of Alexander Neibaur a Jewish native of Alsace who had moved to England, converted to Christianity and latter joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and emigrated to America.^[3] Nibley married Phyllis Draper in September 1946 and the couple had eight children.

Nibley served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Germany and served as a master sergeant working in military intelligence for the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. He was among the forces on Utah Beach that invaded Normandy on D-Day and witnessed the aftermath of Nazi concentration camps.

Nibley began his studies at University of California, Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude, and earned a doctorate as a University Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley he reportedly perused all of the library shelves, beginning on the first floor and moving up. When a book's title struck his fancy, he would then read the book.

At the request of Apostle John A. Widtsoe he became a professor at Brigham Young University in 1946, teaching history, languages, and religion. Nibley served as a faculty member at the LDS Church owned school until his official retirement in 1975, but he continued teaching until 1994. During his final years as a professor emeritus, and prior to his last illness, Nibley maintained a small office in the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU, where he worked on his magnum opus titled One Eternal Round, which focuses on the hypocephalus ("Facsimile 2") in the Book of Abraham. He turned over the materials for his last book to FARMS in the late months of 2002. Never one for the spotlight, Hugh gave authorization to have his biography written only late in his life, and it was published just two years before his death.

Nibley died February 24, 2005.^[4] He had been confined to bed by illness for over two years before his death.

[edit] Social and political viewpoints

Nibley was an active Democrat, and often criticized Republican policies. He was strongly opposed to the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War during an era "when it was very unpopular in LDS culture to do so."^[5] His work "Approaching Zion", an indictment of capitalism and endorsement of communalism, is widely considered a classic of Mormon literature.

Nibley was also bothered by what he saw as the unthinking, sometimes almost dogmatic application of some portions of BYU's honor code. Nibley had no objection to requirements of chastity or obeying the Word of Wisdom, but he thought the often intense scrutiny directed at grooming (hairstyles and clothing) was misguided. In 1973, he said, "The worst sinners, according to Jesus, are not the harlots and publicans, but the religious leaders with their insistence on proper dress and grooming, their careful observance of all the rules, their precious concern for status symbols, their strict legality, their pious patriotism... the haircut becomes the test of virtue in a world where Satan deceives and rules by appearances.”^[6]

[edit] Family controversy

In early 2005, after his death, one of Nibley's daughters, Martha Beck, published Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith, a memoir in which she alleges that her father subjected her to ritualistic sexual abuse between the ages of five and eight. Since the book's publication, Martha Beck's siblings, and some friends of the family, have vigorously denied the abuse allegations. It has been pointed out^{[who?][original research?]} that, during the years the abuse was alleged to have taken place, the Nibleys were a family of ten living in a small house with little or no privacy^{[citation needed]}, in which Martha shared a bedroom with two sisters^{[citation needed]}, neither of whom shares her recollection of any abuse^{[citation needed]}. Some of her siblings have suggested that Martha Beck used techniques such as hypnosis and self-hypnosis in the recovery of her memories of the abuse, a controversial technique. Martha Beck herself asserts that though she did seek psychotherapeutic help during the experience, she did not engage in any form of hypnosis to "recover" the memories.^[7] Some members of Nibley's surviving family also challenge Beck's allegations by pointing out inconsistencies in her descriptions of events to various media sources.^[8]

[edit] Scholarship

Nibley was praised by Evangelical scholars Mosser and Owen for his ability to draw upon historical sources to provide evidence for Latter-day Saint beliefs. Nibley's research ranges from Egyptian, to Hebrew and early Christian histories, and he often took his notes in a mix of Gregg shorthand, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, and Egyptian. Nibley "insisted on reading the relevant primary and secondary sources in the original and could read Arabic, Coptic, Dutch, Egyptian, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Old Norse, Russian and other languages at sight." In a perceptive critique, William J. Hamblin, a colleague of Nibley's at BYU, remarked that "Nibley's methodology consists more of comparative literature than history."^[9] Douglas F. Salmon has examined in depth Nibley's comparative method, focusing on the latter's work on Enoch.^[10]

Among other topics Nibley wrote about were LDS Temples, the historical Enoch, and similarities between Christian Gnostic and Latter-day Saint beliefs, and what he believed were anti-Mormon works. He wrote a brief somewhat emotional response to Fawn M. Brodie's No Man Knows My History, which was titled No Ma'am, That's Not History. Nibley also published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals on topics without direct reference to Mormonism. One such article that is still cited in works in the field of Roman Studies was on sparsiones.^[11] His Berkeley dissertation was on Roman Festival Games.

Often, Nibley was considered the foremost Mormon apologist, and on occasion has been referred to as "defender of the faith," a title that has been widely shared by only one other Mormon: historian and Church leader, B. H. Roberts. Also well-known is Nibley's signature for many papers and articles: "I KNOW THE GOSPEL IS TRUE."

[edit] Linguistic contributions

Nibley proposed new translations of some important words, but it is unclear to what extent these alternate translations are accepted by other linguists.

• Aten - Usually translated "disk of the sun." Nibley pointed out that relief illustrations of the Aten portray it as a sphere, not a flat disk, concluding that a correct translation would be "globe," "orb," or "sphere."

• Kefa - Nibley pointed out that in Arabic and Aramaic this word refers to a green crystalline stone used for purposes of divination. Its best translation is perhaps "Seerstone." In the Greek New Testament it appears as Kefas, in the English New Testament as Cephas.

• Makhshava - This Hebrew word is usually translated as "thought," but Nibley made a case for translating it as "plan." e.g., in the book of Esther many translations say that Haman "thought" to destroy the Jewish people. Nibley suggests that it is more accurate to say he planned to exterminate them. He did not just think about it, but made a plan.

• Shiblon - This Book of Mormon name, Nibley argued, is almost certainly connected to the Arabic shibl, "lion cub." Nibley's student Benjamin Urrutia went on to make the connection with the "Jaguar Cub" imagery of the Olmec people of Ancient Mexico, a theory that has been widely embraced by LDS scholars.^[12]

[edit] Scholarly criticism

Nibley's methodology has also drawn limited criticism from LDS scholars like Kent P. Jackson and Stephen E. Robinson.^[13] Among the criticisms is the contention that Nibley's use of evidence drawn from widely disparate cultures and time periods without proper qualification can be misleading.^[14] Nibley's methodology draws inspiration from the work of the Myth and Ritual School centered at Cambridge University, most notably represented by J. G. Frazer in his famous work The Golden Bough. He also took inspiration from the work of University of Chicago professor Mircea Eliade, who likewise allegedly expressed approval of Nibley's ability. He was at the same time critical of the work of Joseph Campbell, although the latter was arguably a kindred spirit of sorts. As most of these other scholars date from the early 20th century, Nibley's methodology is thus arguably dated, although like the works of the Myth and Ritual School, his work continues to be a source of inspiration to younger generations of LDS scholars for its breadth and depth of learning, insights, and poetic imagination.

Critics of Nibley also argue that the parallels he draws between Book of Mormon and other sources amounts to "parallelomania", which is defined as the "overuse or improper use of parallels in the exposition of a text."

In the independent journal Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, one scholar, Douglas F. Salmon, alleged that Nibley's work in drawing parallels between the Book of Mormon and other sources fits this classification.^[15] Salmon notes:

The number of parallels that Nibley has been able to uncover from amazingly disparate and arcane sources is truly staggering. Unfortunately, there seems to be a neglect of any methodological reflection or articulation in this endeavor.^[16]

[edit] Students

Students influenced by Nibley include:

• Krešimir Ćosić, international basketball star and diplomat.
• Avraham Gileadi, writer and scholar; one of the September Six, later rebaptized
• Brent Lee Metcalfe, author and businessman.
• Benjamin Urrutia, writer and scholar.

[edit] The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley series

• Old Testament and Related Studies, Vol. 1; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-032-1 (Hardcover, 1986)
• Enoch the Prophet, Vol. 2; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-047-X (Hardcover, 1986)
• The World and the Prophets, Vol 3; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-078-X (Hardcover, 1987)
• Mormonism and Early Christianity, Vol 4; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-127-1 (Hardcover, 1987)
• Lehi in the Desert/The World of the Jaredites/There Were Jaredites, Vol 5; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-132-8 (Hardcover, 1988)
• An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Vol 6; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-138-7 (Hardcover, 1988)
• Since Cumorah, Vol 7; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-139-5 (Hardcover, 1988)
• The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Vol 8; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-179-4 (Hardcover, 1989)
• Approaching Zion, Vol 9; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-252-9 (Hardcover, 1989)
• Ancient State: The Rulers & the Ruled, Vol 10; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-375-4 (Hardcover, 1991)
• Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass: The Art of Telling Tales about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young Vol 11; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-516-1 (Hardcover, 1991) (includes No, Ma'am, That's Not History)
• Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, Vol 12; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-523-4 (Hardcover, 1992)
• Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, Vol 13; Deseret Book; ISBN 0-87579-818-7 (Hardcover, 1994)
• Abraham in Egypt, Vol 14; Deseret Book; ISBN 1-57345-527-X (Hardcover, 2000)
• Apostles and Bishops in Early Christianity, Vol 15; Deseret Book; ISBN 1-59038-389-3 (Hardcover, 2005)
• The Message of Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment, Vol 16; Deseret Book; ISBN 1-59038-539-X (Hardcover, 2006)

[edit] Books About Nibley

• Sergeant Nibley, Ph.D.: Memories of an Unlikely Screaming Eagle A memoir of Nibley's World War II experiences, published in the fall of 2006 by Deseret Book. It is bylined "Hugh Nibley and Alex Nibley," and refects Nibley's experiences, written and redacted by his son Alex.
• Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life - The Authorized Biography of Hugh Nibley Written by Hugh's son-in-law, Boyd Jay Peterson, and published in 2002 by Kofford Books ISBN 1-58958-020-6. This is the only full length biography of Hugh Nibley to date and will be the only one he personally authorized.

[edit] See also

• Charles W. Nibley - Hugh Nibley's grandfather
• Richard Nibley - Hugh Nibley's younger brother
• Martha Beck - Hugh Nibley's daughter

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• IMNO interview: Observer; Possibly Hugh Nibley's Last Interview
• Deseret News interview: Nibley still busy at age 92
• BYU magazine interview: Life sketch
• Nibley explains his comment, "We have met here today clothed in the black robes of a false priesthood", given in a prayer at a 1960 commencement at BYU
• FARMS often posts electronic versions of Nibley papers
• More Speeches by Hugh Nibley
• Multimedia speeches