Saturday, July 15, 2023

James E. Talmage on the Background to his book, "The Articles of Faith"

  

Mr. WORTHINGTON. Are you the author of the book called “The Articles of Faith,” which has been referred to here?

 

Mr. TALMAGE. Yes, sir.

 

Mr. WORTHINGTON. In what way did you prepare that book; by what authority; and what was done in the way of giving it authenticity?

 

Mr. TALMAGE. I had been requested by the presidency of the church to prepare a work or works dealing with the doctrines of the church, and, after consultation, had agreed to undertake the work, and thereupon received a written appointment to that effect.

 

Before the work was really begun, before it had passed beyond the stages of making plans and drawing outlines of the ground to be covered, I was asked to give a course of lectures on the doctrines of the church before a large class of students; and then it was decided by myself, primarily, with the consent of those who had appointed me to do the other work, to combine the two purposes and to deliver the lectures in such a way as to make the lectures take the place of the chapters in the proposed book.

 

Mr. WORTHINGTON. After the book was prepared, was anything done in the way of submitting it to the way of submitting it to the church or anybody representing the authorities of the church?

 

Mr. TALMAGE. The lectures were submitted at my own instance, and in accordance with my own request a committee was appointed to examine the same. This committee was appointed by the first presidency, and it passed upon the substance of the lectures or of the book in this way: The committee undertook to decide whether the views there presented were my own alone, or whether they were in accord with the generally accepted doctrines of the church. The book was then published by the church; not by myself. (Proceedings Before the Committee on Privileges and Elections of the United States Senate in the Matter of the Protests Against the Right of Hon. Reed Smoot, a Senator from the State of Utah, to Hold His Seat, 4 vols. [Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1906)], 3:4-5)