Why did FP/12 not dismiss the Salamander Letter as a fraud?
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:49 pm
In 1980, in exchange for the "Anthon Transcript" COJCOLDS gave up a $5 Mormon gold coin, Deseret banknotes and a 1st Edition Book of Mormon to Mark Hofmann. Mormon apologist Hugh Nibley pronounced it to be "as good a test as we'll ever get of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon", hoping the Anthon Transcript could be translated. Robert Lindsey, A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money Murder and Deceit (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988), 66-69.
Thus began the lucrative, if not short-lived, career of historical document forgery by Mark Hofmann.
Hofmann began claiming to have, and COJCOLDS kept buying, other early Mormon history documents.
Other LDS notables include the "Thomas Bullock letter" supposedly dated 1/27/1865 and calling Brother Brigham out for having destroyed all copies of a written-down blessing by JSJr designating his son JSIII as his successor. Hofmann claimed to have a copy of the Blessing too. This was purchased by COJCOLDS (1981) after initially having balked at the price Hofmann was asking, but then agreeing after word that Hofmann might hawk the document to the RLDS.
Hofmann presented letters "from" Lucy Mack Smith describing the origin of the Book of Mormon and from Martin Harris and from David Whitmer giving their claims of visions, respectively, a contract between JSJr and Egbert Grandin for printing the 1st Ed. Book of Mormon, and two pages of Oliver Cowdery's manuscript of Book of Mormon dictation from JSJr. In 1983, GBH directly bought a purported JSJr holograph confirming treasure hunting and engaging in folk/black magic as late as 1825 for $15,000.
Then came the Salamander letter in 1984, "from" Martin Harris to W W Phelps, hinting at JSJr's magical money-digging days and explaining the JSJr got the gold plates from a white salamander rather than a humanoid angel, such as Moroni or Nephi (depending on which tale of JSJr's you might relate to best).
Dallin H Oaks decimated the academic and scholarly reputation he'd spent a lifetime building by trying to apologize away the white salamander possibility, explaining that "salamander" might also refer to a mythical being thought to be able to live in fire, and a "being that is able to live in fire is a good approximation of the description Joseph Smith gave of the Angel Moroni." "1985 CES Doctrine and Covenants Symposium" (August 16, 1985), 22-23.
But it was those apostates that elohim/jehovah don't inspire, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, that first proclaimed the Salamander letter to be a forgery--before those beacons of receivers of elohim/jehovah's messages, the FP/12, knew it. Jerald Tanner’s Tracking the White Salamander: The Story of Mark Hofmann, Murder and Forged Mormon Documents.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on 10/23/1985 that it was apparent from the comments of Alvin Rust (who had paid Hofmann $150,000) "and the police investigation that, at some point, negotiations were under way between Mr. Hofmann and the church—either through a general authority or an intermediary buyer—that the LDS Church was attempting to buy the collection, a number of affidavits, letters and ancient Egyptian papyrus that may contain potential embarrassing materials for the church."
That same day, GBH retorted during a news conference that Hofmann had approached GBH about donating the McLellin collection, but "there was no discussion of our [COJCOLDS'] purchasing it." Salt Lake Tribune, 10/27/1985.
Oaks told Frank Moss/KBYU News that "I thought it was clear from my statement that the church was very intent on not getting the [McLellin] papers, so that there would be no misunderstanding about this. Could you rephrase that question?" (Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 27, 1985).
However, when the truth came out, Oaks had been involved in lining up, primarily through Hugh Pinnock, a lender to Hofmann to acquire the McLellin collection from its source in Texas, arranging for an anonymous purchaser from Hofmann who would then donate the collection to the Church, etc.
Though this issue has been raised numerous times on the Bloggernacle, I am yet to hear an apologetic that even passes the blush test for an apologist to iterate it.
So, just a very simple, concise question: why did those without elohim/jehovah's inspiration, without the powers of divine discernment figure out before elohim/jehovah's brain trust of the FP/12 that the Salamander letter was a forgery? It could have saved Oaks the embarrassment of his apologetic trying to equate salamanders with elohim/jehovah's angels? It could have saved Oaks the embarrassment from claiming the Church was "very intent on not getting" the McLellin collection, when in fact he'd been involved, through Hugh Pinnock, in orchestrating the pieces of the puzzle for the Church to acquire just that.
Thus began the lucrative, if not short-lived, career of historical document forgery by Mark Hofmann.
Hofmann began claiming to have, and COJCOLDS kept buying, other early Mormon history documents.
Other LDS notables include the "Thomas Bullock letter" supposedly dated 1/27/1865 and calling Brother Brigham out for having destroyed all copies of a written-down blessing by JSJr designating his son JSIII as his successor. Hofmann claimed to have a copy of the Blessing too. This was purchased by COJCOLDS (1981) after initially having balked at the price Hofmann was asking, but then agreeing after word that Hofmann might hawk the document to the RLDS.
Hofmann presented letters "from" Lucy Mack Smith describing the origin of the Book of Mormon and from Martin Harris and from David Whitmer giving their claims of visions, respectively, a contract between JSJr and Egbert Grandin for printing the 1st Ed. Book of Mormon, and two pages of Oliver Cowdery's manuscript of Book of Mormon dictation from JSJr. In 1983, GBH directly bought a purported JSJr holograph confirming treasure hunting and engaging in folk/black magic as late as 1825 for $15,000.
Then came the Salamander letter in 1984, "from" Martin Harris to W W Phelps, hinting at JSJr's magical money-digging days and explaining the JSJr got the gold plates from a white salamander rather than a humanoid angel, such as Moroni or Nephi (depending on which tale of JSJr's you might relate to best).
Dallin H Oaks decimated the academic and scholarly reputation he'd spent a lifetime building by trying to apologize away the white salamander possibility, explaining that "salamander" might also refer to a mythical being thought to be able to live in fire, and a "being that is able to live in fire is a good approximation of the description Joseph Smith gave of the Angel Moroni." "1985 CES Doctrine and Covenants Symposium" (August 16, 1985), 22-23.
But it was those apostates that elohim/jehovah don't inspire, Jerald and Sandra Tanner, that first proclaimed the Salamander letter to be a forgery--before those beacons of receivers of elohim/jehovah's messages, the FP/12, knew it. Jerald Tanner’s Tracking the White Salamander: The Story of Mark Hofmann, Murder and Forged Mormon Documents.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on 10/23/1985 that it was apparent from the comments of Alvin Rust (who had paid Hofmann $150,000) "and the police investigation that, at some point, negotiations were under way between Mr. Hofmann and the church—either through a general authority or an intermediary buyer—that the LDS Church was attempting to buy the collection, a number of affidavits, letters and ancient Egyptian papyrus that may contain potential embarrassing materials for the church."
That same day, GBH retorted during a news conference that Hofmann had approached GBH about donating the McLellin collection, but "there was no discussion of our [COJCOLDS'] purchasing it." Salt Lake Tribune, 10/27/1985.
Oaks told Frank Moss/KBYU News that "I thought it was clear from my statement that the church was very intent on not getting the [McLellin] papers, so that there would be no misunderstanding about this. Could you rephrase that question?" (Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 27, 1985).
However, when the truth came out, Oaks had been involved in lining up, primarily through Hugh Pinnock, a lender to Hofmann to acquire the McLellin collection from its source in Texas, arranging for an anonymous purchaser from Hofmann who would then donate the collection to the Church, etc.
Though this issue has been raised numerous times on the Bloggernacle, I am yet to hear an apologetic that even passes the blush test for an apologist to iterate it.
So, just a very simple, concise question: why did those without elohim/jehovah's inspiration, without the powers of divine discernment figure out before elohim/jehovah's brain trust of the FP/12 that the Salamander letter was a forgery? It could have saved Oaks the embarrassment of his apologetic trying to equate salamanders with elohim/jehovah's angels? It could have saved Oaks the embarrassment from claiming the Church was "very intent on not getting" the McLellin collection, when in fact he'd been involved, through Hugh Pinnock, in orchestrating the pieces of the puzzle for the Church to acquire just that.