View of the Hebrews, or, The Tribes of Isreal in America

by Ethan Smith

This famous book by preacher and theologian Ethan Smith puts forth the notion that the Native American tribes are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
The idea that the distant forebears of the Native American tribes had somehow arrived in North America long ago from Israel, perhaps during the Great Flood described in the Biblical Old Testament, was a popular belief in the USA during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lacking an alternative explanation for the tribal peoples, the preachers of the era advanced this Israelite theory, which gained currency especially among the more pious Christians in the fledgling United States.
Concepts that Ethan Smith and others advanced were later discredited by anthropologists, who determined that the ancestors of the Native American peoples had in fact migrated across the frozen plains of Alaska. Despite being disproven by later research, View of the Hebrews remains interesting for its insight into the popular beliefs and suppositions of religious scholars at the time.
View of the Hebrews is also famous today for the influence it had in the establishment of Mormonism. The Book of Mormon has, in several chapters, parallels of opinions and tone to Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews. This has led later scholars to suppose that Joseph Smith, the founder and prophet of the Mormon faith, had read this book at some point and used it to compose his own prophetical work.
Ethan Smith was a lifelong clergyman who was born in Massachusetts, New England. In his youth, he witnessed the American Revolution succeed: thereafter he embarked upon a long career as a member of the Congregationalist clergy, authoring several popular books on theological themes. He lived to the age of eighty-seven - at the time a remarkable lifespan - and was reputed to have memorized much of the Bible by heart, so that he could continue to preach even as his eyesight failed.

Genres: Religion, Mormonism, History, Nonfiction

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Ethan Smith (1762–1849) was a New England Congregationalist clergyman in the United States who wrote View of the Hebrews (1823), a book that argued that Native Americans were descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. His position was not uncommon among religious scholars, who based their history on the Bible. (Source: en.wikipedia.org)

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book today is known primarily as the work that Joseph Smith did/didn't plagiarize to write The Book of Mormon. It’s a fascinating text in its own right. Mormons do not, nor did they ever, have the market cornered on elaborate/plausible-looking theories about Native American genealogical ties to ancient Hebrews.
Far from purporting to be scripture, View of the Hebrews is an attempt at serious scholarship. I’m not suggesting this is a compelling historical treatise. It’s not. But for people interested in topics like the Lost Tribes of Israel, it’s an interesting read and an ambitious work of pseudo-scholarship. People for and against the Book of Mormon should read it, or refrain from glibly referencing it to support their beliefs.

[Darin Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I've studied Mormon history over the years, this book has always been in the background but I had never actually read it. I knew that many pointed to it as Joseph Smith's real source and inspiration for the Book of Mormon (even B.H. Roberts was a bit freaked out by it) but I'd never read it cover to cover. Having now done so I do not see it as a blue print for the Book of Mormon, but a lot of the themes and ideas are there. It will probably never be known whether or not Joseph Smith had ever seen this text prior to his own writing/translation. It does become clear from the text that the idea of Native Americans being descendants of Jews and more specifically the lost ten tribes, was certainly in the air during Joseph Smith's formative period.

Rev. Smith cites many, many contemporaries who held the same views, provided the same "evidence" and put forth the same arguments. Some of the similarities with the Book of Mormon narrative are striking. A bound and sealed book of yellow pages buried in the ground and once discovered and translated is revealed to contain Hebrew writings and long passages from the Old Testament. The ancestors of the American Indians are purported to have been led by God to a choice land he had prepared and preserved for them. Once here they separated into two basic civilizations, one peaceful and dignified (having retained more of their heritage) and one out west that had descended into barbarism (including taking multiple wives). Rev. Smith also claims that the Indians were originally all of a single color, which later changed. As I said, I do not necessarily see that Joseph Smith directly cribbed from this book, but it is unlikely that he hadn't encountered some of the ideas contained therein.

The book itself is important as a window into American religious thinking in the early nineteenth century and worth reading for that fact alone. This is doubly true for anyone with an interest in the history and development of Mormon theology and scripture. The writing is poor, the reasoning unsound and the theology muddled. Be that as it may, View of the Hebrews is a valuable artifact of America's religious development.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the books that opponents of Joseph Smith claimed he had copied to write the Book of Mormon. BYU reprinted it so that people can read and evaluate it for themselves. Other than advancing the theory that the American Indians are of Israelite descent, the book bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Book of Mormon. Still, it is very interesting to read for comparison. (As a side note, my wife was the editor’s research assistant for the introduction.)

[Amie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two reviews, first on the book as its own entity:

2 stars, because I literally used it to bore myself to sleep when I woke up in the middle of the night.

I’m a little confused by the original premise, as Smith is proposing that Native Americans came from Jews scattered after the burning of the 2nd temple of Jerusalem in 74ish (?) AD. But he also refers to them as the missing 10 tribes, who were scattered after the 1st destruction of Jerusalem in the 4th Century AD. So I’m not sure which group he is thinking of here. Anyway.

I was intrigued by the parallels Smith saw between Native American cultures and Hebrew culture. It was particularly impactful when he listed things as a big “where did all this come from???” list. However it lost a whole lot of credibility when he gave a couple of sentences at the end of this list pointing out that one similarity might be found in one native tribe and another in a completely different tribe. In other words, while no singular group looks like Jews, across the continent you can find a bunch of similarities piece meal, and use those to support your thesis.

Which is the part the caught my attention the most.

What I really saw familiar here was the idea of coming to pile of data with a hypothesis, and looking for the data that supports your thoughts. You can ignore everything else, and just pull out the bits that agree with you.

It particularly looked like a bunch of the things I’ve read trying to place the events of the Book of Mormon in various new world locations. These things have always been idly interesting, as the specific location of BoM events has never been something I worried about. But it was indicative of the kind of circular reasoning they demonstrate. Smith makes a statement near the end of VotH to the effect of “If all these similarities do show the Native Americans to be descendants of the scattered Jews (Hebrews?) then that shows the Bible is true.” But the Bible is where he got much of his evidence (pages and pages of lengthy discussions of Isaiah.) BoM archeologists end up in similar circles.

Now, a 2nd review on VotH as source material for the Book of Mormon.

I first heard of VotH when I read the CES letter 7-8 years ago, and it makes a big case about the shared characteristics between the two books. More recently YouTube sent me a video about those similarities, and a response saying “no, that’s not in ______”. So I decided to read the darn thing for myself and see what they have in common.

I think analysis of those parallels fall into the same trap Smith did. That is, it focuses on any similarities it can find, ignoring the massive pile of dissimilarities.

The biggest difference to me is that VotH has no plot, no named main characters (a few historical sources are mentioned), and none of the doctrinal dialogue/discourse that makes the Book of Mormon powerful to believers.

The strongest similarity I found was the basic concept that Native Americans were actually descended from a scattered Hebrew tribe. I think there could be a case made that Joseph Smith got this concept from Ethan Smith and developed it in the Book of Mormon. But that concept and the liberal use of Isaiah are pretty much the only things that the two books have in common. The BoM makes absolutely no use of the extended examples of Jewish culture in the Americas. The BoM has almost no specific examples of the Law of Moses, just statements that that they kept the Law.

So, the biggest shared trait is a belief that (according to Wikipedia) was fairly widely held in the States at the time, namely that the American Indian was part of the lost 10 tribes of Israel and needed to be restored to fulfill prophesy. Rather than claiming that Joseph took his ideas from Ethan, (if you want to go naturalistic) it makes more sense to claim they each took the general idea and developed it in different ways.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because my brother heard that it was source material Joseph Smith used to write the Book of Mormon. That sounded intriguing. But having now read it cover to cover, I can honestly say that there's nothing in here that was used in the Book of Mormon. In fact, I think Joseph Smith would have had better luck convincing his contemporaries that he had found a record of an ancient tribe of Israel if he HAD used some of the information in this book.

Other than the Book of Mormon connection, there's no reason to read this book. The author lays out the case for North and South America being populated by the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel who were led by God through Siberia and across the Bering Strait. I don't know how the author's research was received in 1825, but 200 years later, archaeology has disproven most of the author's assertions. And a lot of it was just ridiculous. For example, he asserts that Indians (using his words) dance around the fire saying the word 'Hallelujah' (or similar Hebrew words), but they don't know what the word means so they just repeat the same syllable over and over: 'Ha...ha...ha...ha...le...le...le...le...', etc. And Indians practiced a daily sacrifice of throwing the fattest part of their meat into the fire, which was clearly (in his day) the same thing as Israelites making their own sacrifices. And so on.

There's no need to read this unless you're curious about the Book of Mormon connection.

[Brad Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. Modern day religious historians argue that it was the basis for Joseph Smith's inspiration for the Book of Mormon. After reading this book (and having read the Book of Mormon several times), I see no resemblance at all. I'm not sure why religious scholars feel that Smith plagiarized this book and used it for the Book of Mormon.

[Marv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mind numbing dull. I should get some sort of compensation for reading the whole thing. However, a professor of mine loaned me his copy and I felt obligated to read this rare book for its historical significance.

[Tanya]

Predictably boring, irritatingly repetitive, ethnocentric, self-righteous, and condescendingly racist.

And yet, informative. I'm glad I read it.

[Andrew Bonney]

iykyk

Alright, I'll provide more detail, but disclaimer: this is very specific to studies of Mormonism and its history.

Context: A lot of people point to this book as Joseph Smith's inspiration for the Book of Mormon. Others have argued that Joseph Smith directly plagiarized from it. The vast majority of Latter-day Saints reject both of these perspectives, instead believing that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, and any similarities between the Book of Mormon and other contemporary texts are mere coincidences.

B.H. Roberts (a church authority and scholar) collected a list of parallels between 'View of the Hebrews' and the Book of Mormon in the early 20th century, just when the 'View of the Hebrews'-Book of Mormon theory was gaining traction. Some argue that these listed parallels point to Roberts's conviction that 'View of the Hebrews' indeed was the source for the Book of Mormon. Others argue that he was simply creating a list of parallels to preemptively identify and respond to potential criticisms of Book of Mormon authorship. Suffice it to say that discussion of this book within my faith community compelled me to read it myself.

My thoughts: Obviously, I am coming at this book with a MAJOR bias, as I am a believer. Perhaps that entirely clouds my judgment and my thoughts are irrelevant, though I hope not.

'View of the Hebrews' convinced me that discussion of the American Indians being descendants of the lost tribes of Israel was widespread in early 19th-century America. Smith cites a lot of other individuals (scholars, pastors, and laymen) who argue for this theory. Pulling from scriptural and anecdotal accounts, Smith argues that the lost ten tribes came over the Bering Strait and populated the Western Hemisphere. (By modern standards of historical proof, Smith's argument falls flat, but I think we should give him grace. After all, it was two hundred years ago.)

Again, I have a huge bias. But I honestly did not find strong parallels between the Book of Mormon and 'View of the Hebrews'. As I mentioned, the notion of Israelite descent among Native Americans was one popular in the culture of Joseph Smith's time and place, so I am unconvinced that it originated with Ethan Smith. Additionally, the entire focus of 'View of the Hebrews' is on proving the Bering Strait hypothesis for the lost ten tribes. Conversely, the Book of Mormon describes the migration journeys of multiple peoples: a post-exile remnant of these tribes traveling by boat (likely starting in present-day Oman), another group of Judahite descendants migrating shortly thereafter, as well as a people from the time of the Tower of Babel. These may seem like fine distinctions to those not engaged in Mormon studies, but I think that that when it comes to discussions of plagiarism or even broader inspiration, this book does not have sufficient parallels to the narrative(s) of the Book of Mormon to suggest such connections.

Regarding other parallels (e.g., transitions from theocratic to republican forms of government, conflict between "degenerate" and "civilized" societies), these themes are underdeveloped side arguments in 'View of the Hebrews'. They hold far more detail, importance, and complexity in the Book of Mormon's historical narrative. To plausibly claim influence over the Book of Mormon's text, they would need to have far, far more depth.

Yes, both of these books discuss Hebrew tribes coming from ancient Palestine to the Western Hemisphere. However, it would be more proper to label them as part of the same genre than to claim one is a derivative of another.

If you read this and you're a member of the church, I hope you enjoyed. If you read this and you're not a member, please don't think I'm a weirdo for getting deep into this stuff.

[Cheya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most interesting book that was written about 100 years ago by a Christian pastor about the Hebrews (the tribes of Israel).

Chapter 1 told about the annihilation of Jerusalem by the Romans that took place about 75 years after Christ. The author's research was thorough throughout the book and he quoted scripture and other authors in supporting his point of view. This chapter relies heavily on the writings of Josephus, a Roman historian. The slaughter of the Jews was heart-wrenching to read about and I will never again think or talk about it without a lump in the chest.

Chapter 2 addresses the scattering of the 10 tribes which took place about 700 before the birth of Christ. He quotes scripture that tells of them being scattered to the north and then the east. It's generally believed, even today, that many of these people crossed the Behring Strait, entering and spreading out in America. Next he talks about the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah and Dan that took place about 100 years after the scattering of the other 10 tribes. He made an interesting point that even though the Jews have been dispersed throughout the world, the maintain their identity, whereas no one, even the members of the 10 tribes, know who they are. Also in this chapter, Smith reasons and supports his belief with scripture and other quotes from other authors that the Jews and the Lost Ten Tribes will literally be restored to their lands of inheritance.

Chapter 3 proved to be the most interesting to me. His thesis was that the Native Americans are the Lost Ten Tribes. That idea has been supported by many people, before and since Pastor Smith. He told of the traditions that had been orally passed down from 1 generation to the next. The story of their ancestors in the north and crossing the frozen waters of the Behring Strait and the extreme cold they suffered is one story that they still believed in the early 1700's. The American Indians celebrated 3 great feasts each year that corresponded closely to those of the Jews. The thing I appreciated about this chapter is that it paints a picture of the Indians before the Europeans had forced them from their lands and, in many ways, their customs. Since the writing of this book the Indians have adopted many of the white man's ways and abandoned many of their own. This chapter paints a picture of history before it was lost. Well worth reading!

Chapter 4 contains many quotes from Isiah, as does the Old and New Testaments. Pastor Smith provides some interpretations but they didn't seem to make sense to me. Both Isiah and Smith lost me at many points through this chapter.

You can read this book on the internet without spending a penny. Well worth the read.

[Jemini Willis]

This famous book by preacher and theologian Ethan Smith puts forth the notion that the Native American tribes are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

The idea that the distant forebears of the Native American tribes had somehow arrived in North America long ago from Israel, perhaps during the Great Flood described in the Biblical Old Testament, was a popular belief in the USA during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lacking an alternative explanation for the tribal peoples, the preachers of the era advanced this Israelite theory, which gained currency especially among the more pious Christians in the fledgling United States.

Concepts that Ethan Smith and others advanced were later discredited by anthropologists, who determined that the ancestors of the Native American peoples had in fact migrated across the frozen plains of Alaska. Despite being disproved by later research, View of the Hebrews remains interesting for its insight into the popular beliefs and suppositions of religious scholars at the time.

View of the Hebrews is also famous today for the influence it had in the establishment of Mormonism. The Book of Mormon has, in several chapters, parallels of opinions and tone to Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews. This has led later scholars to suppose that Joseph Smith, the founder and prophet of the Mormon faith, had read this book at some point and used it to compose his own prophetical work.

Ethan Smith was a lifelong clergyman who was born in Massachusetts, New England. In his youth, he witnessed the American Revolution succeed: thereafter he embarked upon a long career as a member of the Congregationalist clergy, authoring several popular books on theological themes. He lived to the age of eighty-seven - at the time a remarkable lifespan - and was reputed to have memorized much of the Bible by heart, so that he could continue to preach even as his eyesight failed.

[Nathan Hoyt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having heard that this book was possibly an inspiration for Joseph Smith writing the Book of Mormon, I have wanted to read it. As far as the storyline, you have to get at a really high level to a statement of Ethan Smith believing that the indigenous Americans were from the middle east.

And on that line, the book was not so convincing and it was hard not to look at it as someone in this century and all the evidence that says otherwise. So I do cut Ethan Smith some real slack, but several times when he would draw an analogy and point that this or that fact clearly showing the indigenous Americans were following Hebrew customs. Many times my immediate reaction was, "OK, but even I know that type of custom is common across many cultures." One example was having rituals before going to war. That is very common world-wide.

Where this does intersect with Joseph Smith is more cementing that the view that the indigenous Americans were from the area we now call Israel was a widely held belief in Joseph Smith's timeframe.

On to read The Late War.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the only reason anyone ever reads this book anymore is because of the claims that Joseph Smith may have either plagiarized from it, or used it as source material for the Book of Mormon. Having read both, I think this is a ludicrous claim. It seems to me that to claim otherwise either indicates that you haven’t read both, or that a person has ulterior motives for making such claims.

As to the book itself. I found the first couple chapters very dull and dry, and wanted to quit. But when the author finally got into the meat of his theory that the Native Americans are the lost ten tribes of Israel, and traveled to America over the Bering Strait, I found his comparisons of some Native American practices with those of ancient Israel interesting. It seems like an idea that the author felt passionately about, and spent much of his life thinking about.

[Spencer Marsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the more boring books I’ve read to date. It’s supposedly a book that Joseph Smith was “influenced” by (one of the most ambiguous words ever and one that can be used for anything) in creating the Book of Mormon. One chapter is 150 pages long and it’s just a stream of comparisons, some stronger than others, to the native tribes of America and the lost 10 tribes of Israel. Ultimately, I agree with Gordon B. Hinckley who said that comparing this book to the Book of Mormon is like comparing a dog to a horse: it’s true they both have four legs and walk, but beyond that there’s not much similarity.

[Mike Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read and perspective of the native American tribe's connection with hebrew traditions and influence. Many site this as supporting the authenticity of The book of Mormon because it was written by an author unconnected with the faith and written before its publication. After reading both, its easy to see the connection, though clearly one could not have influenced the other given the depth each go into, on their own subject.

[Brenna Jarrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 55%
I was going to write an in depth review about everything wrong with this book, but then I realized it boiled down to this: the author is blatantly racist and truly doesn’t understand Native Americans nor the Jewish community.
After reading only half of this, I can definitely tell this is where Joseph Smith got his idea from.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read.

[Josh Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling evidence in here that Joseph Smith did plagiarized the Book of Mormon.

[Ebook Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, the e-book version can be found at:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/view...

[ᚦᛟᚱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that came out years before ol' Joey Smith's fantasy novels, a clear inspiration for his song and dance.

[Kc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mark Twain once said after reading the Book of Mormon, “It is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle. Keeping awake while he did it, was at any rate.” Well, if Joseph Smith used Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews as the main source for the Book of Mormon, as many critics claim, it is a miracle for the same reason. I dozed off several times in my attempt to get through these 220 pages of rambling, 19th century, anecdotal evidence that Native Americans were the 10 lost tribes of Israel. It was slumber inducing not only because it was a tedious read, but also because the more I read the more at peace I was that this book was no smoking gun disproving the veracity of the Book of Mormon. With the exception of quoting a few of the same verses of Isaiah, this book does not resemble the Book of Mormon at all. And even if Joseph Smith had access to this book and was somehow able to fit a copy of it into his hat along with the Spalding Manuscript and his sear stone, it in no way explains how he was able to dictate 500+ pages in less than 3 months, with no internal inconsistencies, using no notes (unless they were hidden in said hat), or how he was able to finish a dictation in the middle of one page and then resume precisely where he left off several days later without asking for the last line or even glancing at the manuscript. (Fawn Brodie’s best explanation for this was that he must have been having some type of rare seizure.) View of the Hebrews also doesn’t explain how Joseph Smith was able to so thoroughly convince 11 other men that they had seen the golden plates that none of them ever denied it to their dying day, although many of them left the church. (Fawn Brodie’s best explanation for this was that Joseph Smith was a powerful hypnotist.)

So, although I cannot recommend View of the Hebrews for it’s entertainment value, I do believe that any Mormon who has ever been confronted by someone who claimed that Joseph Smith “plagiarized” the Book of Mormon from this book should read it just so they can they, “no he didn’t.” Latter-day Saints have nothing to fear from this book.

[Maureen]

So, perhaps the obvious question to me was this: who exactly are these indians to whom Smith attributes Israelite-like characteristics? What is the basis of his assertion that "the American natives have one origin" (84)? Again, as Smith explains that their languages have one origin, we find ourselves in the familiar territory of language = race; as he quotes travelers who note similarities in complexion and physiognomy, we're again dealing with the same sorts of evidence that we found among orientalists of the same era.

This is why I was struck by the similarities of the types of evidence found in Smith's work and in the work of those working in South Asia, and why I was glad to have Parfitt to keep me from getting swept up in Smith's enthusiasm. It seems as though Smith (and those he cites) have appropriated the methods of the orientalists without the methodical rigor that they adopted -- or would it be too flippant to say that the orientalists, in their search for language families, happened to be right while Smith et al were less lucky?

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought and read this book on the recommendation that it was a smoking gun that showed that the Book of Mormon was based on it. If that’s why you’re wanting to read it, don’t waste your time. Just read the different essays and blogs on it. There’s plenty of anti-Mormon stuff out there and FAIR Mormon has an article.

It is however, impressive the detail and length the author went to talk about the spiritual practices and rituals of the Native Americans. This part makes it closer to 1.5 stars. The constant theme again and again and again is, “Native Americans are the same as the the lost tribes. Look at their Jewish traditions!”

Interesting book to go along with my morning scripture reading (took me 11 months to finish it), but wouldn’t read it again.

[Josh Steimle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a book by itself it's an interesting insight into the language and perspectives of an inhabitant of 1820s America. But I didn't read it for that reason, hence the neutral rating, I read it because this book is commonly cited as a source of inspiration for the Book of Mormon, a religious work revered as scripture on par with the Bible by members of the LDS Church (aka Mormons).

Based on my reading of VH I found that claim to be quite spectacular, but I go into detail on that here for any who care to read my opinion.

[Jonathan Waite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alleged source material for the Book of Mormon. Both claim that Native Americans come from the Middle East and are descendents of the tribes of Israel. That's about the only similarity. It's also important to note that neither was original in putting forth that thesis, as it was a common thought among the early religious groups that colonized the Americas. Otherwise, outside standard Christian commonalities it bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this essentially as a cross reference to other books, especially to Grant Palmers book on Mormon origins. The book, (not sure if I call it ficition, historical fiction, religious commentary...), is dry and not necessarily anything to get excited about, but the parallels between concepts and narratives found in the Book of Mormon are notable.

[Alford Wayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unrelated to Joseph Smith and the Mormons, Ethan Smith a New England Congregationalist offers one of the many 1825 theological explanations of the "lost tribes" of Israel's coming to America, using her interpretation of 2 Esdras 13:41. This later had a huge impact on how movements and certain religious groups would view themselves, help settle the West, and compose a purely American religion.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but dated.

[Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exposé on how the American Indian Tribes are really the 10 lost tribes in the bible. It was interesting, but completely false.

[Amort · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is boring unless you have an interest in Book of Mormon