Robert James Matthews (12 September 1926 – 30 August 2009) was a

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

religious educator and scholar, teaching in the departments of Ancient Scripture and Religious Education at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

(BYU) in Provo, Utah. Beginning with personal contacts early in his career, Matthews was instrumental in conciliating relations between religious scholars affiliated with

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now called the Community of Christ), which had separated in a schism in the 1840s. The two religious communities and their scholars had long been at odds over access to and interpretation of important early texts of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...

. Matthews was particularly influential when in 1969 and 1970, scholars affiliated with the RLDS were invited to meetings of the

Mormon History Association The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...

. The new scholars were welcomed, and some were chosen as officers in the organization in later years. Matthews is also noted for his promotion of the concept that the currently-available text of the

Joseph Smith Translation The Joseph Smith Translation (JST), also called the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures (IV), is a revision of the Bible by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, who said that the JST/IV was intended to restore what ...

of the Bible is reliable and authentic.

Biography

Matthews was born in Evanston, Wyoming., the youngest child of immigrant parents, who independently joined the LDS Church in

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and moved to the United States. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Political Science, a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

degree in Geography, and a PhD in Ancient Scriptures, all from BYU. His doctoral dissertation was ''A Plainer Translation: Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible – A History and Commentary''. Matthews and his wife, Shirley Neves, were the parents of four children: Camille, Daniel, Robert, and Tricia. Matthews died in Provo, Utah, after an extended hospitalization for complications following open heart surgery.

Teaching and scholarship

Matthews began teaching in the Church Educational System (CES), as a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

teacher in Soda Springs, Idaho, in 1955. He also taught

institute An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations ( research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

classes in Southern California, under the direction of Paul H. Dunn, and was a course writer and editor with the seminaries and institutes division of CES. In 1968, Matthews received a PhD in Ancient Scriptures from BYU. He began teaching in the Division of Religious Education at BYU in 1971. He served as dean of Religion Education at BYU for eight and a half years and then was a professor and department chair of the Ancient Scripture Department until his retirement, in 1992. Matthews has the distinction of being the first person from the LDS Church to be allowed by the Community of Christ to work with the original manuscript of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, which was in its possession. He was a principal collaborator involved in compiling the ''

Encyclopedia of Mormonism The ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' is a semi-official English-language encyclopedia for topics relevant to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church, see also "Mormon"). The five-volume texts have been digitized and are available ...

'' and authored articles on the

Book of Moses The Book of Moses, dictated by Joseph Smith, is part of the scriptural canon for some in the Latter Day Saint movement. The book begins with the "Visions of Moses," a prologue to the story of the creation and the fall of man (Moses chapter 1), a ...

and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

LDS Church service

From 1946 to 1948, Matthews was a Mormon missionary in California. His

mission president Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending o ...

was Oscar W. McConkie, father of Bruce R. McConkie. In the 1970s, Matthews served on the Church Adult Correlation Committee. Earlier, he had served as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

, high councilor and

stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...

. In the mid-1990s, Matthews was the first

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. At the time of his death, he was serving as a stake patriarch. Matthews was the chief editor of the LDS Church's 1979 Bible Dictionary, which is printed together with the church's English edition of the King James Bible.

Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson (born 13 April 1944 in Shelley, Idaho) is a Latter-day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington. Her editing credits include ''Sisters in Spirit: Mo ...

"Church Publishes First LDS Edition of the Bible"
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', October 1979, p. 9.

Publications

*''"A Plainer Translation": Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible, a History and commentary'' ( Brigham Young University Press: Provo, Utah, 1975). , OCLC 1230845 *''A Burning Light: The Life and Ministry of John the Baptist'' ( Brigham Young University Press: Provo, Utah, 1972). , OCLC 481178 *''Selected Writings of Robert J. Matthews'' (

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

: Salt Lake City, 1999). , OCLC 42290385 *"Historicity and the Children of God" in Paul Y. Hoskisson, ed., ''Historicity and the Latter-day Saints Scriptures'' (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University: Provo, Utah, 2001). , OCLC 48749213 *''Joseph Smith’s Revision of the Bible: Notes, History, and Comparisons''. Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1969. *''Who's Who in the Book of Mormon''. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976. *''"A Bible! A Bible!"'' Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990. *''Behold the Messiah: New Testament Insights from Latter-day Revelation''. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994. *'Unto All Nations: A Guide to the Book of Acts and the Writings of Paul. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1975. *'There's No Substitute for Being There: Educational and Spiritual Benefits of Travel. Provo: BYU Religious Education and BYU Alumni Association, 1982. *'The Hope for Immortality: A Desire for the Ages. Provo: Division of Continuing Education, Brigham Young University, 1990. Reprinted in Selected Writings of Robert J. Matthews, 488–504. *'Toward a Greater Portrayal of the Master. Provo: Division of Continuing Education, Brigham Young University, 1995. *'The Role of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible in the Restoration of Doctrine. Provo: Foundation for Ancient Research and Ancient Mormon Studies, 1997. *'How the LDS Edition of the King James Bible Came to Be. Provo: Crandall Historical Printing Museum, 2005.

Notes

References

*Dust Jacket of "A Plainer Translation. *Deseret News article at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695206730,00.html *In My Life: Robert J. Matthews at http://famouspeopleihaveknown.blogspot.com/2008/07/robert-j-matthews.html *Noted LDS Scholar, Educator Robert J. Matthews Dies at 82 at http://open.salon.com/blog/kathy_riordan/2009/08/31/noted_lds_scholar_educator_robert_j_matthews_dies_at_82 *Publications of Robert J. Matthews at https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/witness-restoration/writings-robert-j-matthews-1960-2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Robert J. 1926 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Mormon missionaries American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American Mormon missionaries in the United States Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University faculty Church Educational System instructors Patriarchs (LDS Church) People from Evanston, Wyoming Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church)