Young sidney rigdon seeking fame and fortune through religion. Craig criddle s address at the ex mormon foundation october 2009. Craig criddle is a professor and senior fellow, woods institute for the environment, stanford university, having taught at stanford since 1998. However, does anyone have additional thoughts on the 1982 byu study. See jockers, witten, criddle, reassessing authorship of the book of mormon, 482. The deliberate archaic language of the book of mormon may have something to do with this, but that was not anything discussed by jockers and criddle. The battle over mormonleaks two websites with one name. Turning to the object of the paper written by schaalje et al. Criddle does not present his conclusions as offering positive proof of the book s true origins, but instead attempts to track signs authorship through a chronological narrative of the old spaldingrigdon explanation for the book of mormon. Hiltons methodology thus did not address a key aspect of the book of mormon authorship question.
Criticism of mormonismbookswho really wrote the book of mormon. While i admit to being disturbed by the article, it is not for. Of course, it could also be that josephs plagiarism lifting content from multiple authors, each with their differing writing style fingerprint, would also show differing wordprints in byus analysis. Reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification. Craig criddle part 2 part 2 of craig criddle s 2009 ex mormon conference. Examining a misapplication of nearest shrucnken centroid. The discussion centers around the spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. In 2008, matthew jockers, daniela witten, and craig criddle applied two statistical methodsdelta and nearest shrunken centroid classification nscto the question of book of mormon authorship. Although criddle s lecture is accompanied by numerous examples of relevent evidence, it is a. A foundational premise of the jockers study was that the once prominent, though long discarded, spauldingridgon theory of book of mormon authorship might actually be valid. This theory says much of the story of the book of mormon was plagiarized from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. He maintained this in spite of extensive problems with the theory that has led some critics of the book of mormon to abandon this theory as hopeless.
Creating the book of mormon, epaper, originally published 8 october 2005. Also, since i gave the exmo conference talk in october, we have retested the book of mormon, including this new material as a signal for smith. Draft preprint of reassessing authorship of the book of mormon. Mormon discussions view topic book of mormon authorship. Dale broadhurst spalding book of mormon textual parallels, plus an important study of unique word parallels. There are differing views on the origin of the book of mormon. By craig criddle email the author sidney rigdon elder sidney. Prior to 2008, no published authorship study results linked sidney rigdon to writing of the book of mormon. 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. This new analysis continues to indicate that the major authors were rigdon and spalding. Jan 19, 2011 a year or two ago, the oxford university press journal literary and linguistic computing published a statistical argument for the spalding theory of book of mormon authorship. Feb 19, 2010 the inclusion of all the words is yet another indicator of the robustness of the findings. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. Sidney rigdon embraced mormonism without much investigation.
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. Craig criddles address at the exmormon foundation october 2009. Reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification published in literary and linguistic computing. Dec 14, 2008 i recently perfunctorily read a new study written by three stanford university professors, titled reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification, and published in the latest issue of the journal, literary and linguistic computing. The idea is that sidney rigdon got a hold of the manuscript and used it to author the book of mormon. Terryl givens joseph smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light. The history of sidney rigdon the history of joseph smith.
Witnesses described it as a biblicalstyle fiction that traced the origin of native americans to migrations from the middle east. What has rarely been addressed is that for much of. And to do that, the only concrete thing you have to base that on is the roman story mswhich you apparently think works in your favor. At best, one might hope to conclude from such an analysis that the chosen selections are not by the same author, but the methodology used does not exclude the possibility of multiple nineteenth century authors. Robertss study which was published posthumously in 1985 as studies of the book of mormon. Wordprint analysis and the book of mormon deseret news. While it has not received anywhere near the attention that i had expected it to receive, a few critics have seen it as th. In that post, i had discussed a controversial study completed by stanford researchers mathew jockers, daniela witten, and craig criddle who concluded that 57% the book of mormon was authored by sidney rigdon and solomon spaulding. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of the book of mormon. Craig criddle evidence of rigdons involvement with the book of mormon manuscript.
Ep 27 who wrote the book of mormon part 2 infants on thrones. Quotes joseph used a peep stone and a hat to translate most of the book of mormon. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. Dec 12, 2017 since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. For jockers and criddles book of mormon chapter data, it turns out that the absolute probabilities of authorship by spalding or rigdon are, almost without exception, very small. In the first essay i discussed why authorship of the book of mormon is important, how bias affects the analysis, and i critiqued some of the major authorship theories. I offer you the following information for your consideration. When the book of mormon appeared, all who heard him were satisfied that he referred to it. The goal was to offer the public new evidence that the book of mormon, the churchs foundational scripture, was not an ancient record translated.
Book of mormon authorship update from craig criddle the catchall forum for general topics and debates. The forerunner to the book of mormon, manuscript found, was a story penned by solomon spalding. Variations of this theory only include that the text is a divinely inspired narrative, regardless of its. Selections from the old book of mormon studies homepage provide unique information and intriguing possibilities. Those who believe that joseph smith translated it by the gift and power of god naturally have accepted that its source texts were written by multiple ancient prophets. Pdf reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta. Additionally rigdon, who was a preacher, weaved his own religious views into the story. Jun 18, 2015 when i first started investigating how the book of mormon was written, i thought this theory was compelling. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of the. In this second essay, i provide additional evidence supportive of the spaldingrigdon authorship theory, including a response to. Byu scholarsarchive citation roper, matthew and fields, paul j.
Including all of the words of one of the most repeated signature phrases of the book of mormon as evidenced by mark twains description of it when it is not a feature of spaldings work would be pretty risky if the study was actually a set up. Miraculous origins theories generally accept joseph smiths own account, that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by mormon, a precolumbian resident of the western hemisphere. The spalding enigma by wayne cowdery, howard davis, and donald scales summary. Book of mormon, until pratt and cowdery handed it to him for inspection. Dec 23, 2008 that new book of mormon wordprint study. Lies, expletive deleted lies, and statistics fairmormon.
Ive seen tbms reference this study, numerous times, to argue that joseph smith couldnt have written the book of mormon. The spalding enigma, our authors set out to accomplish a monumental task. Craig criddle s presentation at the exmo conference by randy butterfield on fri oct 30, 2009 12. Daniela witten, and craig criddle who concluded that 57% the book of mormon was authored by sidney rigdon and solomon spaulding. Theology, cosmology, high priesthood, and temple rites. Criddle s investigations contributed to a 2008 wordprint study of the spaldingrigdon claims the results of which were. For the past year or so, ive mentioned that information regarding book of mormon authorship would be forthcoming. We hope you have a wonderful christmas and a happy new year. But yes, you, on the other hand, wish to reject what they point blank tell you.
Reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta. How was the structure of the book of mormon changed after the lostpages incident. Oct 14, 20 glenn and randy continue the discussion on who wrote the book of mormon and are joined by dr. Dec 09, 2008 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. For two years before the book of mormon appeared rigdons sermons were full of declarations and prophecies that the age of miracles would be restored, and more complete revelations, than those in the bible, would be given. Part of the research includes a wordprint study that attempts to show which chapters in the book of mormon were likely written by rigdon, cowdery, spalding, or parley p. Response to claims made in who really wrote the book of mormon. Mormonleaks is a research project that seeks to reconstruct the authentic narrative of the origins of the mormon canon by combining macroanalytic computing tools with contemporary historical evidence. Campbell eventually concluded that rigdon was the probable author of the book of mormon, but his initial explanation held that smith wrote the book by drawing from sermons and local folklore. Examining a misapplication of nearest shrunken centroid. I also summarized 24 pieces of evidence, pointing to sidney rigdon as a key contributor and likely mastermind for the 1830 version of the book of mormon. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e.
Pratt as key players in the authorship of the book of mormon. Reassessing authorship of the book of mormon using delta and. Choosing the best of an woefully incomplete list tells the reader nothing about who really wrote the book of mormon the stanford authors clucking agreement with the authors of the book by that name notwithstandingjust as not checking out all. Campbellite doctrine in the book of mormon beggars bread. Book of mormon authorship update from craig criddle. Supplementary data for reassessing authorship of the book of. The historical case against sidney rigdons authorship of.
Openmormon view topic craig criddles presentation at. Pratt as key players in the authorship of the book of. Since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. I really appreciate a comment by chris spencer on my previous post dueling wordprint studies. The battle over mormonleaks two websites with one name and one goal. Spalding submitted his manuscript to a pittsburgh print shop for publication. In addition, because professor criddle has been involved in efforts to resuscitate the spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship, roper and fields were also invited to comment on that rather moribund explanation in a separate essay that immediately follows this one. Ep 27 who wrote the book of mormon part 2 october 14, 20 glenn ostlund 7 comments glenn and randy continue the discussion on who wrote the book of mormon and are joined by dr. This project is the result of painstaking effort on the part of matt jockers, daniela m. Book of mormon authorship update from craig criddle page. In the first essay i discussed why authorship of the book of mormon is important, how bias. Craig criddle, a professor at stanford university who believes the book of mormon had several authors.
Mormon apologists and smithassole author advocates claim that sidney ridgon himself, and his family consistently denied rigdons involvement with the fabrication of the book of mormon and that every member of the family supported this denial, even some who were antagonistic to mormonism. The historical records reveal a small pool of candidate authors collaborating in western new york and northern ohio to create the mormon scriptures. D, is a professor and senior fellow, woods institute for the environment, stanford university. More than one spalding manuscript a paper stating the reasons for more than one spalding manuscript. In this second essay, i provide additional evidence supportive of the spaldingrigdon authorship theory, including a response to criticism of the theory. Wikipedia article on the stonecampbell restorationist movement wikipedia article on alexander. Craig criddle2009who really wrote the book of mormon. Authorship who really wrote the book of mormon video presentation on the spauldingrigdon theory at the 2009 exmormon foundation conference additional resources. Craig criddle and ryan mcknight have a lot in common. Others, however, have assumed that joseph smith or one of his associates wrote it. This book attempted to revive the moribund spalding manuscript theory for the book of mormon. Episode 05 provides evidence for how the lost116pages incident triggered a series of events that led to the complexity of the book of mormon.
So says a new computerassisted authorship study out of stanford. Farnham, travels in the great western prairies, the anahuac and rocky mountains, and in the oregon territory, poughkeepsie, new york. November 27, 2017 what can stylometry tell us about book of. Jockers, i again see that he is saying that the report published by his research team is only a set of relative authorship attributions. Who wrote the book of mormon part 2 infants on thrones. Book of mormon authorship update from craig criddle post by why me.
A primary takeaway seems to be that wordprint analysis is an imprecise tool for determining authorship of the book of mormon. Craig criddle part 1 part 1 of craig criddle s 2009 ex mormon conference presentation. A few weeks ago when i asked about theories of joseph as a savant, i was getting at an image of joseph as a genius, but not a conscious genius. The research is interesting, but it looks like theres a.