Customer Reviews

The World and the Prophets (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol 3)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first thirty chapters of this book were delivered as radio addresses by Hugh Nibley in 1954. In 1962 they were published as we have here with two concluding chapters. These lectures all discuss the nature of the prophetic calling versus what the world would praise as leaders. Nibley hammers home again and again that a prophet has nothing to do with earning the world's praise nor is he required to appeal to us. It is our duty to hear God's voice and get ourselves in line with what God would have us do. To do this we need to hear the Spirit who will confirm to us the words we hear from the prophet.

It is always interesting to me that we continue to turn to our own ways even after having the world's folly confirmed to us again and again. Yet, to the world the message of any prophet is foreign and strange to the point of being ridiculous. No wonder they mock and point. It is our job to ignore the world and stay focused on the words of life.

This book can help make following true prophets much easier with greater understanding, confidence, and focus. It does read as a series of talks rather than a treatise that builds up a single argument. Instead, each chapter can be read separately. You might gain by reading one chapter each day for a month and a day and meditate on each one for that day.

Hugh Nibley is widely considered one of the top scholars that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) has produced. During his long career, he has written extensively on ancient history, Scripture, the Book of Mormon, comparative religion and other subjects. Prof. Nibley has been praised by non-Mormon as well as Mormon scholars, including some Evangelical Protestants, who consider him Mormonism's best apologist. (Incidentally, there are some scholars within the LDS Church that question certain aspects of his methodology and his use of sources.)

For those who don't know, Mormons believe that the Christian church fell into apostasy early on and the Church was restored with the prophetic work of Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844). Although the Reformers challenged some of Rome's teachings, they accepted the idea that revelation was mostly over and placed it in an inspired book rather than an inspired church. The Mormons believe in continuing revelation and Nibley even speaks highly of the Charismatic movement. To a certain extent, then, Mormonism is a form of "restorationism" which was popular during the time of Joseph Smith.

THE WORLD AND THE PROPHETS is a collection of talks that Dr. Nibley gave on radio 50 years ago. Nibley concisely sets forth the Mormon idea of revelation (particularly the importance of prophecy) and contrasts it was historic Christianity, which tends to limit revelation to an inspired Church and an inspired book. According to Nibley, Christianity (if you can all it that) went off the wrong track early on with its emphasis on "mysticism, speculation, and rhetoric." Nibley argues that, on the other hand, Mormonism is a more "literal" and less "speculative" religion.

THE WORLD AND THE PROPHETS' biggest limitation is that inherent in brief lectures. There is a tendency to draw excessively sharp contrasts between Mormonism and more traditional forms of Christianity. For example, Nibley alleges that the rest of the Christian world is given to Greek speculation (such as the classical formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity and the Deity of Christ) yet the same thing could be said with respect to Mormons (in their doctrine of deification and the like). In addition, Nibley has the tendency to make historic Christians out to be something of frauds. In a couple places, he even implies that Church Fathers like Augustine were such blatant phonies that they even had to admit it. I checked out a few of Nibley's references and there are, to put it mildly, more charitable interpretations one could give them.

Even if one is not a Mormon, one can appreciate this book for the insight that it sheds on the Mormon view of historic Christianity. For a different perspective (which doesn't mention Mormonism or Nibley, however) one might consult Jean Danielou's work GOD AND THE WAYS OF KNOWING.

Hugh Nibley, to put it simply, is a genius. This outstanding work goes into the depth on prophets in the Bible, Early Christian Church, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (more commonly known as the Mormon Church). Its striking insights and parallels makes one to think. It is filled with information that deserve to be reread over and over again. A definite aid and an intriguing work. In fact, I think I am going to read it again...

Prof. Nibley's genius is evident in everything he writes. This book is astoundingly timely despite being written nearly 50 years ago. All of his statements about the times were true then, but 10 times as true now. I have six more of his books piled up in my books to read.

I found this series great and hard to put down for one interested in LDS apologetics. I sold this copy to another person and have been kicking myself ever since when I go to look at my library. This was the hardest to read of the first three in the series (this being book 3).

This is probably my second favorite Hugh that I have read so far. Only Approaching Zion is better in my opinion. I enjoyed how he talked about various alternatives to prophets and revelation that have existed throughout the centuries. The next to last chapter about the Doctor's Dilemma was my favorite chapter. I recommend this chapter and the entire book to anyone interested in the subject or the author.

This book was published in 1954 and is a collection of several dozen radio addresses given by famed Mormon Scholar Dr. Hugh Nibley regarding beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) and early Apostolic Christianity.

It is mostly addressed to members of the Mormon Church and to understand much of it, a familiarity with the doctrines of that Church are necessary.

Nibley, the author of dozens of books regarding Mormon theology that are still in print, carefully prepared these chapters and I found them easier to follow than some of his later, more thorough, works. The main thesis is the contrast between Mormon beliefs in current Prophets and Revelation and the non-Mormon Christian world beliefs that the scriptures and the heavens are closed. As a device to judge which view is correct, Nibley compares and contrasts the two views with the early Apostolic Church via writings of the early Christian Fathers.

Nibley, who published in this area widely in secular publications, and his in-depth knowledge of dozens of languages and the subject matter, is well qualified to comment on these matters. I found myself following his footnotes frequently to articles I had no or little knowledge of. His writing in this work is clear and more concise than in some of his other writings for a different audience.

The content establishes without a doubt that the Mormon views on subjects like revelation, prophecy, and church organization are essentially the same as the early church created by the Savior and his apostles in contrast to other Christian churches. Nibley quotes from hundreds of modern and ancient works to explicate.

Re-reading this book over 50 years after its initical publication points out how accurate and prescient Nibley was. The former main-stream Christian Churches that have replaced literal beliefs and spirituality with political correctness and pseudo-intellectualism are hemorrhaging members while fundamental Christian churches like the Mormon church and other charismatic churches are maintaining and even increasing their membership.

I highly recommend this book, even though it is 50 years old, as a clear analysis and comparison of essential religious beliefs. 5 stars. I would compare this book to C.S. Lewis' book "Mere Christianity" Mere Christianitywhich is a collection of his radio addresses on similar subjects. Both are excellent works for Christians who wish to have a deeper intellectual understanding of important religious issues and beliefs.