Posted on 02/25/2005 10:32:34 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Not many Mormon scholars could get away with lambasting the faithful for their excessive materialism, their fondness for the military and hunting, or their kitschy church art and still remain a favorite son. Fewer still could be a mentor to church defenders and LDS social critics at the same time.
And almost no other Mormon thinker could offer Homer's Odyssey as a bedtime story to his children, simultaneously translating the original Greek into English.
But that was Hugh Winder Nibley.
Nibley, credited with launching the scholarly examination of Mormon scriptures, died Thursday at his Provo home weeks before his 95th birthday.
"He charted the map of Mormon studies, laying out the foundation for what scholars will be looking at for the next century. He inspired an entire generation of scholars," said Nibley biographer and son-in-law Boyd Peterson, who is married to Nibley's youngest daughter, Zina.
And no wonder. Nibley's prodigious scholarly output - hundreds of essays, 15 books and scores of articles in academic and LDS Church publications - is almost unmatched among Mormon writers.
Nearly to the end, Nibley could recite long passages from Shakespearean tragedies, Wordsworth poems and arcane texts that span several millennia and continents.
He had a deep disdain for the slavish conformity he felt grips many Latter-day Saints. Yet he maintained an unquestioning loyalty to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its leaders and scriptures.
"He was true to the highest canons of scholarship he had learned at Berkeley, but he was also guided by his faith," said Noel Reynolds, director of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) ...
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
I'm very saddened to lose such a brilliant mind from this earth. Brother Nibley's deeply intellectual and thought-provoking work will require more than a lifetime for this mind to absorb. He will be missed.
He was also an environmentalist. I had the privilege of taking religion classes from Hugh Nibley, as well as hearing him speak in church, and at other informal gatherings. His mind was amazing, he was a brilliant man.
And there are many Democrat Mormons, although I think the numbers may be going down because of the current stances of the Democrat party. If you look at the history of Utah, Democrats really dominated this state for many decades. However, as the Democrats have drifted leftward, the balance of power changed in Utah. Today, it is difficult to get elected if one is a Democrat.
As far as Hugh Nibley goes, his faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel, and his testimony of the Book of Mormon never wavered. He always made stinging comments about the Utah Mormon culture, but never our faith. And that is why he was such a beloved figure.
I used to watch the Book of Mormon lectures they would show on KBYU on Sundays. It was amazing to watch Bro. Nibley lecture without notes, jumping from the Book of Mormon, to the Dead Sea Scrolls, to Isaiah, to the Epic of Gilgamesh, to Elizabethan poetry, all the while reciting lengthy passages from memory.
He bounced so quickly from one tangent to another, it was hard to keep up. Truly a phenomenal mind, even well into his 70s (which is when those lectures were taped, I believe).
just, dang. I don't know what to say to this. He was so profound.
Gee how you have changed!:)
From the full obituary, still available here.
"A die-hard Democrat in conservative Utah County, he spoke out on controversial and unpopular topics like the futility of loyalty oaths in the midst of the McCarthy hearings and the Vietnam War."
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