An Approach to the Book of Mormon

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley #6

by Hugh Nibley

Great Condition

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction, History, Church, Mormonism, Spirituality

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Hugh Winder Nibley 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 over ten languages, including 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 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.

Reviews

[Scott Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. Anyone that reads Nibley's works is aware of his writing style and his wonderful self confidence in his position and beliefs. Nibley has always been an inspiration to me because of his depth if intellect and his understanding of the true meaning of the gospel. In this book, he makes some very interesting points about the Book of Mormon, and does a great job of addressing the most common points brought up by critics. His research and understanding is astounding, and his "approach" is very convincing. I am glad I finally got around to reading this book cover to cover. Well worth it and I definitely recommend to anyone interested in intellectual arguements in support of the truth of the Book of Mormon. One thing, of many, that become much more real to me and better understood as a result of reading this book, is that the Book of Mormon was written for our time and addresses and warns us of exactly the evils that are becoming most powerful at this time. Gets you thinking that is for sure!

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this book was first published in the 60s, the information is still very pertinent. In this volume, first intended as a lesson manual, Nibley discusses the Book of Mormon in light of the ancient world and circumstances in which its story takes place. He draws comparisons from many different archeological findings including ancient writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and middle Eastern stories of creation and dispersion. He also compares lifestyles and customs described in the Book of Mormon in terms of nomadic, desert-dwelling people with which they would have been familiar and shared many commonalities. He looks at the proper names of people and places and demonstrates Hebrew and Egyptian roots. He also explains the lack of archeological evidence in the New World in the terms of a nomadic lifestyle and the tendency to use wooden structures wherever possible. I found this to be a fascinating analysis of the Book of Mormon in terms of its ancient world setting.

[Richard Bracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to terms with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon a long time ago. Still, it’s sometimes gratifying to see it discussed by capable scholars like Hugh Nibley who are able to read ancient Greek and Egyptian, and all that sort of thing. Individuals attuned to gleaning and describing nuances that never would have occurred to me, and with citations! Here’s an illustrative example.

Those familiar with the Book of Mormon may recall that the story kicks off in Jerusalem when a prophet named Lehi has a dream warning him of impending destruction of the city and to get the family out of there. When he wakes up, they grab their tents and head out. As a youngster I would wonder how a family of rich city folks could immediately move out into the brambles like that. The beauty of Nibley’s scholarship is he’s able to authoritatively fill in the gaps created by uninformed knee-jerk presumptions like that one. In this particular example, the family’s transition lines up not only with the time, but Lehi’s place in it.

In this instance, Nibley points out, Lehi’s actions are entirely consistent with a merchant from the tribe of Manasseh, Lehi’s stated tribe. Before reading this book I had no idea that Manasseh during this period was seminomadic, and the tribe most frequently in contact with desert Arabs. There’s evidence throughout passages of the Book of Mormon clearly illustrating a family of successful traders, out of touch with things going on in Jerusalem, but expert in living in tents and desert travel. As a sort of Bedouin prophet already, living and moving through the wilderness wouldn’t have been one of his handicaps.

”Thus it is no exaggeration to say that the dwellers in the wilderness are utterly removed from the ordinary affairs of men. When “the world” becomes too much for the Arabs, “they withdraw into the depths of the wilderness, where none can follow them with hopes of success”(T. Hamer, Observations, I. 101)

An Approach to the Book of Mormon was a crazy deep church designated priesthood manual during the late 1950’s and 60’s, with headings such as "Nephi’s Wild Night". I wish the church was still publishing manuals like this one!

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since my freshman year at BYU I've been staring at those big, thick Hugh Nibley books on the shelf at the bookstore. Now I've finally read one.

It's been said that much of Nibley's scholarship has been flawed, that he takes material from different cultures and time periods and lumps them all together. That's true. He is a genius with knowledge so expansive that he really can't help himself.

This work for important for two reasons. First, he shaped the entire research program for Latter-day Saint apologists. The bulk of the book is about Lehi's sojourn in the Arabian desert. And over half of apologetic work is about 1 Nephi. And it’s yielded fruit. In Oman they've found epigraphic evidence for the Book of Mormon, such as a place called Nahum in Oman, and a tombstone with the name of a foreigner named Ismail buried there.

Second, he admitted somewhere that he was just waiting for the "real" scholars to arrive. I'll give you a couple examples of his trailblazing work. In ch. 23, "Old World Ritual in the New World," Nibley put forth correlations between King Benjamin's sermon and old-world rituals. Sounds like vague parallelism. But after him, FARMs produced a multiauthor work that connected the sermon to the Feast of Tabernacles specifically, providing a much stronger case for the sermon's authenticity.

Another example of Nibley's trailblazing is his use of BOM names, found in ch. 22, "Proper Names in the Book of Mormon." He found names from the Book of Mormon that sounded like Egyptian or Semitic names. You can play that game with proper names almost anywhere. For example, anti-Mormons claimed that Joseph Smith got BOM names from cities in the Midwest. But following Nibley, scholars such as Matt Bowen and others established that not only do the BOM and Hebrew/Semitic names sound alike, they are used in the text in a manner that showed that the author knew their meaning in Egyptian or Hebrew. And now there's an entire Book of Mormon onomasticon project you can see online.

In addition to pioneering fields in LDS apologetics, Nibley offered great insight into the Book of Mormon too. For example, he pointed to Jewish traditions that the earth was baptized by water, then by wind, then by fire. In Ether, which is placed chronologically after the flood, a "furious wind" (Ether 6:5) blew the Jaredites to the New World. In Hebrew, the word for "wind" and "spirit" are the same (ruach), so the Bro. of Jared story is a metaphor for the spirit leading someone to the desired destination.

Nibley also pointed to Mesopotamian myths about light being provided inside boats by divine providence, so the story about Jesus touching the sixteen stones to light them up fits in nicely. Of course, the Christological focus of the Book of Mormon means Jesus is at the center.

This book is both a pioneering work and insightful in its own right.

[Pam Christison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting historical, linguistic, and cultural background thoughts about the Book of Mormon. I don't need evidence to convince me that Joseph Smith did not compose the Book of Mormon himself - I have faith for that - but it's interesting to read.

[Lance Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly researched writing by Hugh Nibley. It was written years ago as a Priesthood manual originally. This is not an easy read, but it is still a very interesting background to the culture, practices, and customs of Lehi’s Book of Mormon times.

[Jason Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful for understanding the background of the people

I wish the digital version had some or any drawings. However the content was wonderful. I know understand the context and background of the people of the Book of Mormon.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful information that adds to the testimony of the Book of Mormon. Absolutely amazing!

[Graham Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly mind blowing. This single text could send you down 30 rabbit holes of research, and to think that Nibley wrote 16 more books like this...hoo boy.

[Patrick Trent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting look at the Book of Mormon. Hugh Nibley is like no other in his depth of understanding of the ancient world.

[Spencer Willardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this is rehashed from other areas. It was meant as a study manual for Melchizedek Priesthood quorums - very different from our current study materials. There are some real gems in there.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good read! I always thought picking up a Hugh Nibley book would be like trying to read legal contracts - not true!
This book is an academic approach to the Book of Mormon that seeks to answer the question "is it plausible that the historical, sociological, archeological, etc... references in this book could have actually happened?" Rather than trying to prove the Book of Mormon is true, he takes the approach to say, for example, are names like Nephi, Alma and Lehi names that have appeared anywhere else in history? If so, what does that say about the book of mormon?

Recommended reading for members of the church.

[Richard Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hugh Nibley although for some he is an aquired taste. His books are dense and full of thought provoking information. He once said that he wouldn't be held accountable for anything he wrote over twenty years before. This book was once used as the Melchidedek Priesthood course of study. Even so, there is much to learn about the lands and peoples that inhabit the pages of the book and their context in the wider realm of ancient peoples throughout the world and especially in the middle-east.

[Jake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although Nibley has a great sense of humor, and is extremely well-read in a number of languages, when he starts talking about proof for Mormon scripture he uses shoddy scholarship.

To understand Nibley's approach to scholarship, see:
Salmon, Douglas F. "Parallelomania and the Study of Latter-day Scripture: Confirmation, Coincidence, or the Collective Subconscious? Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 33, no. 2 (Summer 2000): 129-156.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I'd read one of my husbands Hugh Nibley books, but by reading this book, my testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon grew immensely. From things that have been discovered years after the Book of Mormon was translated, there is proof that there is no way Joseph Smith could have written the book himself.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, which was originally written as a manual for an LDS priesthood class, is a real enrichment to one's study of the Book of Mormon. Although simpler than some of Nibley's other books, due to its intended use as a once-weekly class manual, the chapters of the book and the questions at the end of each chapter are a thought-provoking addition to scripture study.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an older work (as most of Nibley's are...) But well worth a read if you are interested in learning more about the Book of Mormon. I found it to be less heavy than many of Nibley's other works.

[April Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will take me quite a while to delve through but I am determined to educate myself more. I enjoy Hugh Nibley's insights and am soaking up his research and information learned.

[Sheila h]

Excellent insights and wonderful

[Shannon Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was very interesting but I find myself dreading reading it now. Just not my thing so I'm stoppin half way through.

[Terry Earley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nibley is a hero of mine. He sheds such light on his subject. This an older work, republished by FARMS. His approach to examining context in the Book of Mormon is a classic.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Topics discussed were very detailed and thorough. Nibley definitely knows his stuff. It took me ages to read this book, it is really thick.

[Ernie Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the Book of Mormon.

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Nibley was my neighbor while I was a teenager and young adult. We used this book as the lesson manual for our LDS Priesthood group one year.

[Allen Elggren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insights to Book of Mormon from the time when the Church really started emphasizing member reading of the Book of Mormon.

[Kenneth Burr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the nibley books

[Jeryl Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multi discipline explanation of previously unknown facts and discoveries supporting previously supposed inconsistencies.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent and quite readable

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a long time to get through, but Nibley's cultural comparisons with old world carryovers found in the Book of Mormon present some very faith confirming arguments. Well worth the read.

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Can't wait to read it again!!