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World and the Prophets

Hugh W. Nibley; Gary P. Gillum, Don E. Norton, and John W. Welch (Editors), Todd M. Compton (Forward). Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1993, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 3, 3rd Edition, hardbound, 333 pages. ISBN: 087579078X

In this collection of essays, first broadcast on radio in 1954, Nibley responds to those who challenge the right of members of the LDS church to call themselves Christians. He points out identities of doctrines, practices, and institutions between Latter-day Saint Christians and the early Christians. And he describes how Christ's church changed from an organization with inspired prophets into a thoroughly different institution built upon the learning of men.

Review Excerpts:

"Hugh Nibley is widely considered one of the top scholars that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) has produced. During his long career, he has written extensively on ancient history, Scripture, the Book of Mormon, comparative religion and other subjects. Prof. Nibley has been praised by non-Mormon as well as Mormon scholars, including some Evangelical Protestants, who consider him Mormonism's best apologist. (Incidentally, there are some scholars within the LDS Church that question certain aspects of his methodology and his use of sources.)

For those who don't know, Mormons believe that the Christian church fell into apostasy early on and the Church was restored with the prophetic work of Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844). Although the Reformers challenged some of Rome's teachings, they accepted the idea that revelation was mostly over and placed it in an inspired book rather than an inspired church. The Mormons believe in continuing revelation and Nibley even speaks highly of the Charismatic movement. To a certain extent, then, Mormonism is a form of "restorationism" which was popular during the time of Joseph Smith.

The World and the Proophets is a collection of talks that Dr. Nibley gave on radio 50 years ago. Nibley concisely sets forth the Mormon idea of revelation (particularly the importance of prophecy) and contrasts it was historic Christianity, which tends to limit revelation to an inspired Church and an inspired book. According to Nibley, Christianity (if you can all it that) went off the wrong track early on with its emphasis on "mysticism, speculation, and rhetoric." Nibley argues that, on the other hand, Mormonism is a more "literal" and less "speculative" religion.

The World and the Prophets' biggest limitation is that inherent in brief lectures. There is a tendency to draw excessively sharp contrasts between Mormonism and more traditional forms of Christianity. For example, Nibley alleges that the rest of the Christian world is given to Greek speculation (such as the classical formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ) yet the same thing could be said with respect to Mormons (in their doctrine of deification and the like). In addition, Nibley has the tendency to make historic Christians out to be something of frauds. In a couple places, he even implies that Church Fathers like Augustine were such blatant phonies that they even had to admit it. I checked out a few of Nibley's references and there are, to put it mildly, more charitable interpretations one could give them.

Even if one is not a Mormon, one can appreciate this book for the insight that it sheds on the Mormon view of historic Christianity. For a different perspective (which doesn't mention Mormonism or Nibley, however) one might consult Jean Danielou's work God and the Ways of Knowing." --Steve Jackson, New England, 2004

Hugh Nibley received his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1939. He is emeritus professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He is a gifted scholar, educator, and lecturer who has been delighting and motivating Latter-day Saints for decades. A prolific writer, a keen and witty observer, and a relentless critic of the worldly, he has led LDS Church members of all ages to a deeper understanding of and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Title: World and the Prophets

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