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Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass: The Art of Telling Tales

Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass: The Art of Telling Tales about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Hugh W. Nibley; David J. Whittaker, Editor. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1993, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 11, hardbound, 735 pages. ISBN: 0875795161

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or as tinkling cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Since then, the terms, "tinkling cymbals" and "sounding brass" have often been used to signify words of emptiness and confusion—describing perfectly most writings critical of the Latter-day Saints. Nibley brings his formidable training in classical rhetoric and history to bear in this study of anti-Mormon writings. This collection of lively writings from the 1940s and 1950s exposes the tendentious and faulty reasoning of nineteenth-century critics and satirizes flawed arguments against Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. In all these essays, Nibley explains and defends the life and teachings of the prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

Review Excerpt:

I really don't think we can put Hugh Nibley into a book, much less a box. But this book comes in third, after Approaching Zion, and Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present.

This book covers the Joseph Smith ground, and deals with the long and noble tradition of telling tales about Joseph Smith. It is really an omnibus reprint of several other books.

"No Ma'am, That's Not History." This is Nibley's famous response to Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History. This book, or booklet, can be read in one setting, but it is a sound and full refutation of Brodie's rather overrated book. I have read it, and, no, it is not a slam-dunk. Aside from its original purpose of outlining Brodie's absurdities, it also demonstrates Nibley's methodology in responding to the critics: he has the primary sources in order, and uses a scathing and well-honed logic to lustrate his points. This mini-book is a great gateway for Nibley novices.

"A Note on F. M. Brodie." This article rounds out Nibley's discussion on Brodie, and serves as a coda and outro to the previous section.

"Censoring the Joseph Smith Story." This is one of the funniest history you will ever read. Nibley runs among the footnotes of anti-Mormon literature, and illustrates how the stories of Joseph Smith have been embellishes and exaggerated over time, as one anti-Mormon critic mindlessly quotes another, without ever reading the primary documents. It is a good illustration of not only the perils of plagiarism, but of the childhood game of "Telephone."

"The Myth Makers." This book is the transcript of the celebrated court case of "Joseph Smith v. The World." We Nibley's Shakespearian background shines through in this acidic and stinging satire. It reads as a play, or a Socratic dialogue, where every one of Smith's critics since Dogberry takes the stand against Joseph Smith. The key, and the very subtle point to this book, is that Joseph Smith never takes the stand.

"Sounding Brass." This book deals specifically about the tall tales surrounding Brigham Young, and his plural wives. It deals with the later anti-Mormon literature, especially about the book Wife No. 19. The crown jewel of this book is Part 3: How To Write An anti-Mormon Book (A Handbook for Beginners). Nibley lists the 35 rules essential for any and every anti-Mormon book. I think Rule 17: "In Place of Evidence, Use Rhetoric!" (p. 495ff) should be memorized by every undergrad everywhere, since we fall prey to rhetoric so easily. One I understood this rule, my mind was reborn into a whole new and better organ. There is a difference between rhetoric and evidence. Rhetoric is just a series of arguments, rationales, ratiocinations, and philosophies without any evidence, data, facts, or proof. Confusing evidence and rhetoric is confusing a cookie with a cookie sheet. Your jaw will thank you for choosing the right one. This one paragraph alone justifies the books existence, and makes it worth our hard-earned dollar.

This book is a great gift for anyone curious about anti-Mormon literature, or if you yourself are curious about an intelligent response, or weather there is any intelligence at all in this ever popular genre of books." --Kendall B. Hunter, UT, 2002.

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: Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass: The Art of Telling Tales

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