John Smith (December 21, 1751 O.S. December 10 ">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. December 10 pril 30, 1809) was a professor of ancient languages at Dartmouth College and author of the first unpointed Hebrew grammar published in the United States.

Early life

Smith was born in Byfield, Massachusetts to Joseph Smith and Sarah Sawyer. As a young man, Smith attended Dummer Charity School (now

The Governor's Academy The Governor's Academy is an independent school north of Boston located on in the village of Byfield, Massachusetts, United States (town of Newbury), north of Boston. The Academy enrolls approximately 412 students in grades nine through twelv ...

), where he learned Latin and Greek under Samuel Moody, the school’s first preceptor. Noting his pupil’s proficiency in languages, Moody invited Smith to accompany him to Dartmouth College’s first commencement in 1771. Smith was admitted to the junior class that year and graduated in 1773.

Career

After graduation, Smith stayed on at the college as a tutor and studied theology with President Eleazer Wheelock. In 1776, he was granted the degree of Master of Arts. In 1778, Smith was appointed Dartmouth’s first professor, charged with teaching English, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. During 1778–79, in addition to his duties as professor of languages, Smith prepared a series of lectures on

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...

, filling in for Bezaleel Woodward. Smith continued to serve as a tutor until 1787, and served as the college librarian from 1779 until his death. He was appointed to the college’s board of trustees in 1788. From 1780 to 1787 he was co-pastor of the college church with Sylvanus Ripley, until Ripley died in February 1787 and sole pastor thereafter until his death in 1809. In 1797, he began preparing a series of theological lectures, which his wife remembered he delivered "Saturday evening at College prayers for two years." In 1803, Smith was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Theology

Smith seems to have been

Calvinistic Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

in his theology. He described his approach to theological disputes in a 1783 letter by quoting a line from

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

: ''In medio tutissimus ibis'' ("you will go most safely by the middle course"). Speaking of hardline Calvinists, he wrote: "I apprehend the line should be drawn about halfway between them and the Arminians.... I really think the plan of divinity laid down by the old Calvinistic Divines, such as Flavel,

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, Baxter,

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, much preferable to a certain new-modelled scheme. Subtle and abstruse metaphysics have no place in the bible."John Smith letter, Mss 783210.1. Rauner Library Archives and Manuscripts. https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/7015 Roswell Shurtleff, Smith's successor in the pulpit at the college church in Hanover, remembered that "in religious sentiment he was unexceptionably orthodox." In a 2006 article attempting to connect Dartmouth teachings to early

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...

, independent researcher Richard K. Behrens characterized Smith as an "

Arminian Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

theologian," college president

John Wheelock John Wheelock (January 28, 1754 – April 4, 1817) was the eldest son of Eleazar Wheelock who was the founder and first president of Dartmouth College; John Wheelock succeeded his father as the College’s second president. Early life John Wh ...

as an "Arminian Presbyterian," and the college church as Arminian in doctrine, though Presbyterian in government. However, these claims are not corroborated by other sources. The histories of Lord, Richardson, and Hill don't mention any Dartmouth faculty or administrators holding Arminian views or Arminianism playing any role in the controversies of the early 1800s. Steven J. Novak noted differences between Wheelock and the Dartmouth trustees concerning revivals and temperance reform, but not over theology.

Alleged connection to Mormonism

In 2006, independent researcher Richard K. Behrens published an article proposing a connection between John Smith's natural philosophy and theological lectures and doctrines later advanced by Mormon founder

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

. Behrens identified 20 "common ideas," as well as 15 "differing ideas," but did not provide specifics.

Solomon Spalding Solomon Spalding (February 20, 1761 – October 20, 1816) was an American author who wrote two related texts: an unfinished manuscript entitled ''Manuscript Story – Conneaut Creek'', and an unpublished historical romance about the lost civilizati ...

(Class of 1785) and Ethan Smith (Class of 1790), whose writings some have theorized were possible sources for the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

, both attended Dartmouth during John Smith's tenure and would have been taught by him.

Personal life

Smith married Mary Cleaveland on February 8, 1781. They had two daughters before Mary’s death in 1784. Smith next married Susan Mason on January 13, 1785, with whom he had six children. Smith died from tuberculosis in 1809.

Published works

* ''The Duty, Advantages, and Pleasure of Public Worship'' (Hanover, NH, 1795) * ''A Sermon, Preached in Randolph, June 3, 1801, at the Ordination of the Rev. Tilton Eastman'' (Randolph, VT, 1801) * ''The New Hampshire Latin Grammar'' (Boston, 1802) * ''A Hebrew Grammar, without Points'' (Boston, 1803) * ''M. Tulli Ciceronis ad Q. Fratrem Dialogi Tres, De Oratore'' (Walpole, NH, 1804) * ''A Grammar of the Greek Language'' (Boston, 1809)

Notes and references

Citations

Sources

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