Hugh Winder Nibley (March 27, 1910-February 24, 2005) was born in Portland, Oregon and was one of Mormonism's most celebrated scholars. Prolific author and professor emeritus of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, he was a notable defender of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, and Spanish languages.

Biography

Nibley served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Germany and served as a master sergeant working in military intelligence for the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. He was among the force on Omaha Beach that invaded Normandy on D-Day and witnessed the aftermath of Nazi concentration camps.

Nibley began studies at University of California, Los Angeles and earned a doctorate at University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley he reportedly perused all of the library shelves, beginning on the first floor and moving up. When a book's title struck his fancy, he would then read the book. At the request of Apostle John A. Widtsoe he became a professor at Brigham Young University in 1946.

Nibley was praised by non-LDS historians and researchers for his ability to draw upon historical sources to give evidences for Latter-day Saint beliefs. In one study the authors argued—due to Nibley's reliability and celebrated scholarship—that most of Nibley's work is reliable, encouraging anti-Mormon writers to assess and counter Nibley's research, rather than dismissing it. [1] Nibley's research ranges from Egyptian, Hebrew and early Christian histories, and he often took his notes in a mix of Gregg shorthand, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, and Egyptian.

Nibley "insisted on reading the relevant primary and secondary sources in the original and could read Arabic, Coptic, Dutch, Egyptian, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Old Norse, Russian and other languages at sight."

Among other topics Nibley wrote about were LDS Temples, the historical Enoch, and Christian Gnostic similarities to Latter Day Saint beliefs as well as direct responses to anti-Mormon literature — including a response to Fawn M. Brodie's No Man Knows my History , which was titled No Ma'am, That's Not History .

Nibley was strongly opposed to the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War during an era "when it was very unpopular in LDS culture to do so."[2]

Often, Nibley was considered the foremost Mormon apologist, and on occasion has been referred to as "defender of the faith," a title that has been widely shared by only one other Mormon: historian and Church leader, B. H. Roberts.

Also well-known is Nibley's signature for many papers and articles: "I KNOW THE GOSPEL IS TRUE."

Prior to becoming ill, he had a little office in the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU, where he worked on his magnum opus titled, One Eternal Round, which focuses on the hypocephalus ("Facsimile 2") in the Book of Abraham. He turned over the materials for his last book to FARMS sometime before 2003.

Leaving the Saints

His daughter Dr. Martha Beck's fourth book, Leaving the Saints, has attracted significant criticism both for its depiction of sacred Mormon ceremonies and for the author's effort to tie her alleged sexual abuse to what she says were mental disturbances suffered by her father [3]. Each of Martha Beck's seven siblings have signed a statement denouncing the book, and stating that the facts surrounding it are false and misleading [4].

Death

Hugh Nibley passed away February 24, 2005, amid controversy of his daughter's book. [5] He had been confined to bed by illness for over two years before his death.

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley series

• Old Testament and Related Studies, Vol. 1; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875790321 (Hardcover, 1986)
• Enoch the Prophet, Vol. 2; Deseret Books; ISBN 087579047X (Hardcover, 1986)
• The World and the Prophets, Vol 3; Deseret Books; ISBN 087579078X (Hardcover, 1987)
• Mormonism and Early Christianity, Vol 4; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875791271 (Hardcover, 1987)
• Lehi in the Desert/The World of the Jaredites/There Were Jaredites, Vol 5; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875791328 (Hardcover, 1988)
• An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Vol 6; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875791387 (Hardcover, 1988)
• Since Cumorah, Vol 7; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875791395 (Hardcover, 1988)
• The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Vol 8; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875791794 (Hardcover, 1989)
• Approaching Zion, Vol 9; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875792529 (Hardcover, 1989)
• Ancient State: The Rulers & the Ruled, Vol 10; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875793754 (Hardcover, 1991)
• Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass: The Art of Telling Tales about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young Vol 11; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875795161 (Hardcover, 1991) (includes No, Ma'am, That's Not History)
• Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, Vol 12; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875795234 (Hardcover, 1992)
• Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, Vol 13; Deseret Books; ISBN 0875798187 (Hardcover, 1994)
• Abraham in Egypt, Vol 14; Deseret Books; ISBN 157345527X (Hardcover, 2000)

External links

• IMNO interview: Observer; Possibly Hugh Nibley's Last Interview
• Deseret News interview: Nibley still busy at age 92
• BYU magazine interview: Life sketch
• Nibley explains his comment, "We have met here today clothed in the black robes of a false priesthood", given in a prayer at a 1960 commencement at BYU
• On June 19, 2004 at 8 p.m. MST, BYU-TV will broadcast Boyd Peterson's 2003 talk about his biography on Nibley and Nibley's life accomplishments

Biography

• Boyd Jay Petersen; Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life; Greg Kofford Books; ISBN 1589580206 (Hardcover, 2002)
  • Samples of the Nibley biography